Turner Phillips

Turner Phillips, age 24, of Brentwood, passed into the arms of the Lord on Sunday, February 13th, after a valiant 802 day fight against leukemia. He was surrounded by his family at his passing. A beloved friend, brother and son, who loved his family in return, he is survived by his sister Lilly, mother, Renee and father, Hunter, as well as numerous cousins, aunts, uncles and his grandmothers.

Turner felt called to a life of service and was always helping others wherever he went, whether it was as a coach of the neighborhood swim team, responding to a friend's need for a ride home in the middle of the night or sharing the leftovers of a dinner out with the homeless. He enjoyed laughter, online gaming, Eminem, Harry Potter, the company of his dogs, hanging out with his friends and the people of Uganda. A Blackbelt and Eagle Scout of Troop 1. He was a graduate of Brentwood High School where he was a member of the swim team, and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga where he majored in Philosophy and Religion. He was working on his master's degree at Reformed Theological Seminary in Atlanta when he was diagnosed with AML in 2019. He had planned to continue his goal of helping people as a missionary in Uganda where he served on several mission trips. 1 Timothy 1:15-16 and Ecclesiastes 3:1-8.

The family is profoundly grateful for the support, love and prayers of our many friends, neighbors and colleagues who have been a source of strength on this journey. While there are too many individuals to name, we would also like to thank everyone at Wellstar Kennestone Hospital, Northside Hospital, Vanderbilt University Medical Center - Ingram Cancer Center, MD Anderson Cancer Center and Alive Hospice, for the grace, kindness and care you provided, even in the darkest of moments. Thanks are also given to those unknown individuals who were kind enough to wear a mask or receive a vaccination to help protect those like Turner who are immunocompromised.

A celebration service of his life will be held at West End Community Church on Saturday, February 19th at 1:00 PM with a reception to follow. Per Turner's preference, no ties please and casual attire is encouraged. Wear orange (the cancer color for leukemia) if you have it. Masks will be required.

To continue his legacy of helping people and at his request, in lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Turner Phillips Memorial Fund at HEAL Ministries, https://heal-ministries.networkforgood.com/projects/153688-turner-phillips-memorial-fund or PO Box 50361, Nashville, TN  37205. The proceeds will be used to build a new preschool to educate and provide services to the abandoned children and women of Uganda.

"The ones that love us never really leave us." Sirius Black, Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban.