We vainly wrestle the blind belief
That aught we cherish
Can ever quite pass out of utter grief
And wholly perish

Judith Leslie Phillips, nee Coventon, went gentle into that good night on Thursday, July 26, 2012. She was born in 1938, in Reading, England. Through her father, her forebears include the Leslie Clan and Sir Walter Scott.

Judith graduated from Felixstowe College and attended Reading University. An accomplished musician, she played piano, studied classical guitar with Julian Bream, and played oboe in the Reading Symphony Orchestra.

In 1960, she married Gary Phillips, US Army, and the couple lived at a number of military posts in the United States and Europe. During the last eight years of a sixteen year stint in Brussels, Belgium, she served as Executive Secretary at the Residence for three successive US Ambassadors to that country. Her fluency in French, knowledge of Belgium, long practice in the culinary arts, tact and fingerspitzengefuhl were of great service to the Ambassadors in hosting Belgian Royalty, President George H W Bush, Cabinet Secretaries, high ranking US diplomats, and Congressional delegations.

The first seven years of Judith's and Gary's retirement were spent in Cornwall, England. There, Judith did volunteer work at the local hospital. In 1997, she and Gary came to live in Vero Beach, where Gary was born and raised.

Judith is survived by Gary; by daughter Clare and her partner Mark; by son Andrew, his wife Anna and their sons James, Toby, and Ralph; and by son Guy, his wife Laura and their son Roan and daughter Quinn. She was our true and honorable wife, mother, and grandmother, as dear to us as are the ruddy drops that visit our sad hearts.

Services: A service of remembrance will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, July 30, 2012 at the Cox-Gifford-Seawinds Funeral Home chapel in Vero Beach. At a later date, a Church of England service will be held at St. Clement's Church in Ashampstead, Berkshire, England. In lieu of flowers, friends may wish to make a contribution to Operation Smile or to the Hibiscus Children's Center Literacy Fund in Vero Beach.

Arrangements are under the direction and care of Cox-Gifford-Seawinds Funeral Home and Crematory in Vero Beach, FL. Friends may leave online condolences at www.coxgiffordseawinds.com.