Anne Phillips, 54, of Heavener, Oklahoma, tragically died on Wednesday July 26, 2023. She is survived by her husband Matthew, and their son Eric, as well as her brother Li Sang. She is preceded in death by her mother Zhi-Min Wang and father Jin-Fang Sang of Tianjin, China.
Anne was born (as Jie Sang) in 1969 in Tianjin, China. Her father was a professor at Tianjin University researching diesel combustion, and her mother was a factory worker. Growing up, she learned ballroom dancing and traditional Chinese painting. She attended Tianjin University and received a Bachelor’s of Engineering in Architecture Engineering Management in 1991. She dreamed of coming to America, and in 1996 she seized the opportunity to help with managing the Table Tennis events of the Summer Olympics in Atlanta that year. Despite many obstacles, she secured a visa and came to work under Richard McAfee at the Games. After the conclusion of the Games, and with the help of many wonderful people she met there, she managed to obtain further employment in the private sector in Gallatin, Tennessee. After working long hours she rode her 10-speed bike to Volunteer State Community College to take classes in computer science. Her hard work paid off, enabling her to get a job at the Tennessee Supreme Court as an IT Specialist and move to Nashville.
During this time, she met her future husband Matthew, while he was a graduate student at Rutgers University in New Jersey. After dating for a little over a year, they married in September 2003. Anne supported her husband tirelessly in his academic career, and delighted relatives and friends with her beautiful calligraphy and artwork. She became a proud citizen of the United States of America in 2010. In 2011, they welcomed their son Eric into the world. The family moved to North Carolina, and Anne continued to support her husband and raise Eric, eventually overseeing his formal education and spiritual growth. Always spiritual herself, she eventually awoke specifically to the Christian faith and consumed biblical knowledge voraciously. There are many books in the Phillips household but Anne’s bibles are the most worn-out by far!
After researching for many, many months, and realizing a vision she had had for years, Anne found a new dream home for her family in the beautiful country around Heavener, Oklahoma. She moved there with her family in April of 2023. In the short time she was here, she made many friends and visited multiple faith communities. Friends here remember her for her outgoing personality and her intense interest in Scripture and the Word. She loved to garden (but not the bunnies!), and she loved the country and people. Her family remembers her for her absolute selflessness and the purity of her intentions toward others. She will be profoundly missed.
A Celebration of Anne’s Life will be held in Evansville, Indiana on August 19, 2023 from 2:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. at DiLegge Banquet Hall. Please contact Matthew at mattphillipssci@gmail.com by August 14th if you plan to attend.
To sign Mrs. Phillips’ online guestbook please visit www.dowdenrobertsfuneralhome.com.
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