Ethel Phillips Wilson passed away on November 2 in Starkville at 106, fortunate to have lived life and enjoyed her family and friends to the end. She was born on April 17, 1915, on a farm near Hale in Jones County, Iowa. The oldest of three children, she lived there on the farm, attending a country school in which one teacher taught all eight grades, until she went to high school in Olin, Iowa. She graduated from Cedar Rapids Business College and then attended the Iowa State Teachers College in Cedar Falls, now Northern Iowa University.

Ethel moved on to Iowa State University, graduating in 1940 with a degree in Food and Nutrition. While at Iowa State, she worked in the dietetic department for women’s dormitories. At a dance in the Home Economics building, she was asked to dance by a shy Mississippian, Arlie Wilson, who had graduated from Mississippi State and was in graduate school at Iowa State. They were married on August 30 in 1941 at the Collegiate Methodist Church in Ames, Iowa.

Arlie was an Army officer in the Public Health Service in WW2, and his assignments had them living in several states during the war, first in New York City, then at Rutgers University in New Jersey and in Little Rock, Arkansas. They settled in Starkville in 1948 when Arlie joined the faculty of the Entomology Department at MSU. There they remained, celebrating their 70th wedding anniversary in 2011.
She and Arlie enjoyed birdwatching at Noxubee Wildlife Refuge, camping trips, attending MSU sports, and international travel. Her two daughters and their families treasure the memories of family trips and gatherings with her and Arlie. Over the years, Ethel and Arlie entertained MSU students from a number of countries in their home.
Ethel was a lifelong active member of the United Methodist Church, with strong dedication to the United Methodist Women and strong support of the Wesley Foundation. She was a longtime member of the Wesley Fellowship Sunday School class and served on numerous committees of the church. She continued to attend Sunday services faithfully until her mobility was impaired, and looked forward each week to the televised Sunday worship service.

She was a member of the Homemakers Club, the Home Economists in Home and Community (HEHC) club, AARP, NARFE, the Oktibbeha County Forest Farmers Association, and the Mississippi Forestry Association (MFA). When she renewed her membership in May of this year, her birth year of 1915 caught everyone’s attention and that led to her being featured in the Summer 2021 edition of Tree Talk, the MFA magazine.
The family enjoyed hearing her tell of her experiences as an Iowa farm girl, a young bride in New York City, her transition into Mississippi, and her RV trips with Arlie. Her long lifespan took her not only through Covid, but also through the Spanish Flu. Ethel was able to live into her last year of life in her own house, with compassionate care of Elaine and Mae.

Ethel was preceded in death by her parents, Frank and Mabel Chatterton Phillips of Olin IA, her sister Marie (Al) Schneck of Gibson City IL, and by her devoted husband, Arlie.

She is survived by her brother Earl (Jeanne) Phillips of Iowa City IA, her two daughters - Emilie (Joe) Thompson of Starkville and Wanda (Michael) Ebers of Clinton TN, two grandchildren – Mardi (Jonathan) Hasson of Birmingham AL, Dustin (Rosy) Ebers of Plano IL, step-grandson - Douglass Thompson of Starkville, and four great grandchildren – Sarah and Clara Hasson, Ethan and Lola Ebers.

Visitation will be at 1:00 on Sunday, November 7, at Welch Funeral Home in Starkville, with the funeral to follow in the Welch Funeral Home Chapel at 2:00. Burial will be at Memorial Garden Park Cemetery in Starkville.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to First United Methodist Church (200 West Lampkin Street, Starkville MS 39759) or to the MSU Wesley Foundation (Box MY, Mississippi State, MS 39762).