Donald Phillips

Donald Cassidy Phillips was born in Wichita Falls Texas on August 1, 1954, to Billy and LaNelle Phillips, and after a hard-fought battle with cancer, passed away on August 19, 2026, at his home on the family farm in Madisonville Texas. He was 72 years and 18 days old.

Donald graduated from South Houston High School, class of 1972, where he played tuba in the marching band. He later worked with his uncle at Brown n Root and then put himself through Sam Houston State University (SHSU) while working for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDC). He graduated from SHSU with a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice and continued working for TDC until he entered the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Ft Worth Texas. While There he worked as a deputy sheriff for Tarrant County.

It was in Ft Worth that he met Patricia Aman (Phillips), and they were married in 1991. She was the love of his life, and they were extremely happy together until her passing in 2021.

Donald loved fishing, camping, and the outdoors. He was always ready for an adventure and loved exploring the wild and beautiful places in the world. He would often take the scenic byways and dusty gravel backroads, to the occasional, good-natured frustration of his family.

Donald spent his entire life working with his hands and could fix almost anything. He was an especially gifted mechanic and carpenter. He loved tying decorative knotwork on virtually everything. His cups, keys, pocketknives, and canes were often adorned with paracord. He had a dry sense of humor and loved a good joke. He was especially fond of puns and dad jokes. He was a student of history and loved westerns, especially John Wayne movies.

Donald was proud of his country and loved it dearly. He loved his family too. Most of all, Donald was a Christian and a servant of Christ. He went several times on mission trips to Mexico and Honduras. He was active in his church and always had time to listen, to help others, and to witness to everyone who needed it.

Donald was preceded in death by his parents and his wife Patricia.

He is survived by his sister Brenda Aigner; son, Jarod Phillips (Shannon); daughters, Machelle Hamilton (Bryant), Cathy Vanhoutan (Kahn); grandchildren, Rowan Phillips, Manda Evans, Erika Knighton, Rachel Bodnar (Jacob), Ashlee Earnest (Houston), Austin Vanhoutan (Kinzie), and his great-grandchildren Landen Earle, Kendyn Knighton, Kaegan Knighton, Whitney Earnest, Memphis Earnest, Madden Vanhoutan, Owen Vanhoutan, and one on the way, Walter Bodnar. He also leaves behind two uncles, two aunts, three nieces, two nephews, and a host of cousins.

A funeral service honoring Donald’s life, officiated by Trent Longron, will be held in the chapel of the Madisonville Funeral Home on Friday, August 28, 2026, at 10:30 A.M. Visitation will take place one hour before the service starting at 9:30 A.M. Following the service, Donald will be interred in the family plot in Oxford Cemetery, Madison County, Texas, where he will rest beside his wife Patricia.

Donald is now in the company of God. He left the world a better place than he found it; family and all others who knew Donald will miss him dearly.

Pallbearers: Jarod Phillips, Terry Clark, Kerry Burkett, Bud Wolf, Hank Hargrave, Terry Collins, Mike Baskin

Final arrangements for Donald Phillips are under the compassionate care and direction of Madisonville Funeral Home, Madisonville, Texas.