MY DAD: THE THINGS I REMEMBER ABOUT MY DAD COULD BE COUNTED INTO THE HUNDREDS. HOWEVER, THE MOST IMPORTANT THING I REMEMBER ABOUT HIM IS HIS HEART. HE HAD A PLACE FOR EVERYONE THAT CAME INTO HIS LIFE RESERVED IN HIS HEART FOR THEM. HE WAS NEVER AFRAID TO GIVE SOMEONE A CHANCE IN LIFE. HE WAS BORN ALVA KYLE PHILLIPS ON NOV. 15, 1910 TO ELMER AND ELSIE (HALL) PHILLIPS IN GLENAVON, IL. A SMALL PLACE ON THE MAP OF ABOUT 2 HOUSES. HIS MOTHER WAS KILLED IN A TRAIN ACCIDENT SEVEN MONTHS LATER LEAVING HIM WITHOUT A SECURE PLACE AS A HOME. ALTHOUGH HIS FATHER WAS ALIVE AND WELL, HE WAS LEFT WITH HIS AUNT IDA (HALL) FORREST TO LIVE UNTIL HE WAS FOURTEEN YEARS OLD. BETWEEN HIS AUNT IDA AND HIS GRANDMA MARY MOLLY HALL HE SPENT HIS GROWING YEARS WITH THEM. AT THE AGE OF FOURTEEN HE TOOK OFF ON HIS OWN WITHOUT EVER LOOKING BACK. FROM THEN ON HE MADE HIS OWN LIVING WITHOUT OWING ANYTHING TO ANYONE. HE MET MY MOM IN LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS WHILE TRAVELING WITH A CARNIVAL DURING THE DEPRESSION. HE WAS A WRESTLER IN A SIDE SHOW. THEY MET AND FELL IN LOVE AND WERE TOGETHER FOR 43 YEARS BEFORE HIS DEATH IN 1975. TO THIS DAY HE IS TRULY MISSED AND HE AND MOM ARE BOTH TALKED ABOUT BETWEEN US FOUR KIDS EACH AND EVERY DAY. MOM PASSED IN 1982 AND SHE IS MISSED AS MUCH AS DAD BUT WE KNOW THAT THEY ARE TOGETHER AND ARE HAPPY ONCE AGAIN. YES, THIS IS MY DAD AND I AM PROUD TO SAY THAT I AM HIS DAUGHTER ALONG WITH MY BROTHER , KEN MY OLDEST SISTER KAY AND MY SECOND OLDEST SISTER, JENNIFER. WE MISS YOU DAD AND WE LOVE YOU.