Leroy Joe Phipps

Leroy Joe Phipps, 66, passed away Aug. 4, 2012, at his cabin on Pathaha Creek, south of Pomeroy.

Leroy was born Nov. 1, 1945, in Yakima, to Dale Leroy and Ellinor (Knowlton) Phipps. He attended schools in Sunnyside and graduated from Sunnyside High School in 1964.

He served in the U.S. Army from 1965 through 1967. After returning from the Army, he attended Yakima Valley College and studied architecture. In 1968 on the 4th of July, he met his future wife, April Susan Holmes, in Prosser. They were married in November of 1968. To this marriage, three children were welcomed: Mark Leroy Phipps (Rayna), Kimberly Ann Garbe (Otis) and Erica Leigh Richartz (Tim).

He began his working life as a farm hand for the Berk Brothers in Sunnyside, and then had his own custom harvest business. In the fall of 1972, he began working for Bar-S feedlot in Sunnyside which eventually became Monson Feedlot, working as a millwright.

In 1978, he started working for Lundgren & McGregor Feedlot in Wallula, and moved the family to Touchet in 1979. He worked for Acme Materials and construction which later became Inland Asphalt, from 1995 to his retirement at the end of 2005. It was at that time that he began to fulfill his own dreams.

Leroy learned to love the outdoors from his father Dale and grandfather, Horace and realized his dream of building a log cabin from scratch. He painstakingly designed and built it from the ground up for his family and future generations to enjoy. He had a wide range of interests. He was a voracious reader, loved building HO trains, working on his 1955 Ford, motorcycle racing, camping with his family in Montana and cooking Sunday dinners for his entire family. He loved his grandchildren more than he loved his own kids, or so it seemed. They were the light of his life. He would spend countless hours being led around by the finger and doing whatever they wanted him to do, no matter how worn out he felt. He always thought it was more important for him to spend time with them than money on them.

He is survived by his loving wife of 43 years; his children and beloved grandchildren, Alexa Rea Garbe, Schae Leigh Richartz, Dominique Jane Dickinson, Ty Allan Garbe, Taylor Ann Garbe, Paytyn Darlene Richartz, Mark Leroy Phipps II, Arthur Allen Phipps and Tegon Otis Garbe; his sisters, Cheryl Pira (Gary), Sunnyside, Connie Cox (Ray) Yakima, and baby sister, April Levins (Gary) Issaquah, Wash; and numerous nieces and nephews.

A memorial service will be held on Friday, Aug. 10, 2012, at 2 p.m. at Herring Groseclose Funeral Home, 315 W. Alder, Walla Walla, with a private family interment to follow. Memorial contributions may be made to the Touchet Educational Foundation through the funeral home.