Phillip Arthur Ford
December 18, 1956 ~ April 8, 2018
Marietta Southern Cremations & Funerals
Phillip Arthur “Phil” Ford died peacefully in his sleep early morning on April 8, 2017 at the home he shared with his wife of 38 years, Rita Jo (Strange).
Phil was born December 18, 1956 in Indianapolis, IN. He was the son of the late William B. Ford and Betty J. (McDowell).
Phil worked as a remodeling contractor most of his adult life and was employed by Taylor Construction for the last several years. In his spare time, he enjoyed boating, fishing, gardening, travel, barbecuing for family and friends, and spending time with his grandsons.
Phil is survived by his wife of 38 years Rita, son Johnathan Ford-Turnbull, and grandsons Phillip (6) and Benjamin (4) Turnbull all of Acworth, GA. He is also survived by siblings Sherry Forster of Westerville, OH; Steve of Evansville, IN; Debi Gordon of New Market, MD; Beth Ford of Aiken, SC; numerous nieces and nephews and great nieces and nephews.
Visitation is scheduled for Friday, April 13, 2018 from 2:00 to 3:00 PM with Memorial Services at 3:00 PM at Southern Cremations and Funerals at Cheatham Hill Columbarium. Private Internment to follow at a later date.
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I really enjoyed working with Phil when we both worked at Window World in McDonough, GA. He had a rough exterior, but once you got past that, he was a ‘teddy bear’. He helped me on several occasions and I will be forever grateful that I had the opportunity to work with Phil.
Thank you for sharing those kind words.
One silly story I heard from others was Phil taking $1000 out of the bank during lunch one day in high school so that he could show off a wad of bills while he bought a fast-food burger. He then re-deposited that money and went back to class. Phil was always one for shenanigans, but his love for his wife, his son, and his grandsons always burned brightly. I’m going to miss my little brother.
As an 8 year old you don’t think about end of life but rather what’s ahead on the journey that was just beginning. Phil and started a childhood friendship at that early age that got us into a lot of mischievous and sometimes harrowing adventures. Living done the street form each other I could cut through Steiner’s yard and avoid Duke from trying to bite my leg as Linus would greet me in the back yard. We both had paper routes – him morning and me the afternoon, that had a parent assisting on either cold and snowy or wet and rainy days. In addition we both had tandem bikes that could severs as a convenient holder for the paper bag that made it easier to pith the paper. We experienced our first taste of liquor and cigarettes spending summer night sleeping in the garage on Colonial Avenue with a multitude of other neighborhood kids the same age. We did pre-license practice driving in his mom’s old Chevy and ended up in a ditch one snowy night. We got a tow truck to pull the car back to the road but it was like 3 in morning and his Mom was not happy when we pulled up in front of the house. Once he got that red van we didn’t have to worry about that anymore. We took separate paths after high schools and grew apart talking only occasionally. I will cherish those memories and many more.
Thanks for sharing your stories; Beth and I really enjoyed them.
I can hear him saying “love ya kid” as he would give a big squeeze whenever we would come to visit growing up. Uncle Phil was one who had a tough exterior but gave the best hugs and had the brightest smile.