Earnest Phillips

Earnest Phillips, 77, of Tallulah, Louisiana, passed away on January 22, 2024.

He was born on January 4th, 1947 in Lake Providence, Louisiana to Columbus Phillips (Sicily Island) and Millie Wroten Moore (Tallulah).

He is survived by: Betty Phillips (spouse) to whom he was a devoted husband for 56 years; and seven kids: Earnest Jr. (Annette), Pamela (Dermmell Reed), Bernadette (Anthony Parks), Michelle (Marquis Houston), Micheal (Meaw Meaw), Lisa, and Daniel; and 12 grandkids: Ashley Smith (Earnest and Dawn Jackson), Kaylee, Sadie, and Xavier (Earnest and Annette); Dermmell and Nyala Reed (Pam and Dermmell), Madison and Harmony (Bernadette and Anthony Parks), Daveon and Jasmine Houston (Michelle and Marquis), Kayden (Micheal and Meaw Meaw), and Layla Amato (Lisa and Jonathan Amato).

His maternal sisters were Emma Moore (deceased), Mable Moore (deceased) and Annie Moore and brother Keith Wroten (deceased). His paternal siblings are brothers: Milton, Mitch, Columbus III, Melvin, Henry, Willie (deceased), and sisters: Ruby, Georgia, and Virgie (deceased).

Earnest Phillips received his GED from the Peace Corps in the 1960s. He then enlisted in the Army and married the love of life, Betty, in 1967.

Earnest served his country for 12 years with tours in Korea, Vietnam, and West Germany. After returning to the US, Earnest, seeking a better life for his kids, decided to settle his family in Las Vegas.

Earnest’s entrepreneur mindset drove him to start several businesses before ultimately joining the teamsters union. He worked in many various positions but spent most of his tenure as a truck driver.

Earnest was a “country boy” at heart and spent his later years back in Tallulah before returning to Las Vegas two years ago.

In his free time, he enjoyed fishing, reading, and playing solitaire.

He will be deeply missed by his family and friends.