Mr. Clyde Lowe Phillips' Obituary
A Life Remembered
Clyde Lowe Phillips, born January 19, 1954, to James Morris and Rosemary Lowe Phillips and namesake of his Uncle Clyde, passed from his earthly life to his heavenly one February 9, 2023, in Dallas, Texas, his hometown, following an arduous, lengthy battle with a neurodegenerative muscular disease. A light in this sometimes dark world, Clyde was an adoring father and grandfather, beloved brother and uncle, and one whose kind, welcoming spirit, quick wit ,wry sense of humor, and infectious laugh endeared him to family and friends alike.
As a typical rough and tumble little boy growing up in the 50’s, Clyde gloried in playing outside from dawn to dusk with neighborhood buddies, running, carousing, riding bikes, exploring for crawdads in the nearby creek, and spending hours in creative endeavors, such as making forts or swords from cardboard for swashbuckling or transforming himself into Davy Crockett, complete with coonskin cap. However, should the ice cream man come calling, all imaginative play was suddenly abandoned as Clyde raced uproariously into the house, screaming for that precious dime that would purchase a cherry popsicle before the cart meandered down the street to the tune of that familiar tinkling bell! Should a rainy day prevent outdoor fun, Clyde often reveled in annoying his big sister, Priscilla, and her friend Elaine by mischievously disrupting some meticulously arranged dolls and accessories in his sister’s bedroom. Moving on to his inside toys, Clyde, ever the very inquisitive little kid, always seeking to know how things worked, often dismembered those playthings into many pieces (creating a mess on the floor that exasperated his mom), only to astonishingly reassemble them somewhat perfectly.
Summertime visits to his Aunt Mary’s in McAlester, Oklahoma were highlights in young Clyde’s life. Soon after the family arrived, while Priscilla ran to play Aunt Mary’s grand piano, Clyde made a beeline for the, what seemed at the time like towering boulders that separated her backyard from our friend, Sue Ann’s house on the street behind. As he eagerly and lustily climbed those rocks, Clyde became a fierce mountaineer, lost in the world of adventure he coveted.
Before he left childhood behind, Clyde Phillips made his most important decision, to surrender his life to Jesus Christ and to be baptized by beloved Rev. John Lee Harris at Lakeside Baptist Church, where the family were active members. Throughout his life, Clyde adhered to the biblical mandate to love his neighbor as himself, exemplified in the way he treated everyone he encountered.
It was during Clyde’s adolescent years that his inherent talent for music began to emerge. Many hours of listening to Clyde tap rhythms on tin pans with pencils led his mom and dad to purchase his first drum set, as he entered band in junior high. Lucky for his sister, over 6 years his senior, she was headed to college about that time and missed out on most of the incessant, loud practice sessions his parents and the neighbors were privy to. But what a talent for percussion emerged! Nurtured by his band director at Bryan Adams High School in Dallas, Bill Lively, Clyde became first chair drummer of the “best band in the land”, as it was known back
then, the award-winning BA Green and White Marching Band. Following graduation from Bryan Adams in 1972, Clyde went on to major in musical performance at Dallas Baptist University. Subsequently, his life in the early 70’s followed the pattern of professional musician, as Clyde performed throughout the country with bands “Great Expectations” and “Collage”. While a part of The Gene Albert Trio from 1976-1980, he performed at numerous clubs and restaurants in the Dallas area. In January of 1978, while the group was playing at the Enclave in Dallas, Clyde’s first child and precious daughter Patricia was born. The guys, still clad in tuxedos, all rushed to the hospital to see this beautiful little wonder God had made! As Clyde recounted to Tricia, that was the moment that gave his life meaning! Tricia and Clyde were a matched pair…Clyde wrote that “God put a throne in his heart” just for her, and that never changed, as he watched her growing up accolades and how she turned being a wife and mother into a fine art!
While still making his living as a performer, Clyde was recruited by his mentor, Bill Lively, who had become director of the newly formed Dallas Cowboy Jazz Band, to be the drummer for that prestigious group. With the Cowboy Band, Clyde was privileged to perform at Superbowl XII and Superbowl XIII, as well as to travel with the Cowboys to London for the Inaugural American Bowl in 1986 when the Cowboys played the Chicago Bears at Wembley Stadium. Clyde later was drummer for many years in Young and Unique, a band with a large following in the DFW region. His second major blessing occurred in March of 1993 when his wonderful son Sam came into the world. These two, so very tight ever since, were always enjoying a hearty laugh and perhaps a cigar together. Sam just loved Clyde’s “Beam me up, Scotty!” impression! But mostly, Sam appreciated the love of soulful music that Clyde instilled in him, along with their mutual favorites Stevie Ray Vaughan, Blood, Sweat and Tears, Blind Faith and the great percussionist, Buddy Rich. Whenever possible, Clyde took him to experience live music… special times of bonding with his dad that Sam fondly remembers .
In later years, after Clyde retired from professional musicianship, he worked in software sales and security before his ultimate retirement in early 2022 due to deteriorating health. Clyde always stayed mentally sharp and active. That curiosity of his, formed in early childhood, challenged him to learn new things and explore new places online; there was nothing he couldn’t do with technology, often helping his tech-challenged sister with this or that. One of his greater pleasures, in his last years, was assisting her with genealogy research, discovering some very intriguing ancestors in Ireland and Scotland, where he so longed to go, but was never afforded the opportunity. But in recent months, Clyde treasured his grandchildren! The successes of his immensely talented grandson Devin (who obviously takes after his granddad) just made his heart leap with joy! Clyde tracked every minute of Devin’s summer European tour with such excitement, and thankfully, was still well enough to attend Devin’s high school Winter Jazz Concert this past December and eagerly anticipated where he would elect to attend college.
Clyde Lowe Phillips was preceded in death by his loving parents and grandparents. He is survived by his daughter, Patricia Scholer and husband Rob, son Sam Phillips, grandchildren, Devin Drinan, Chloe and Noah Scholer, sister, Priscilla Allen and husband Larry, niece and nephew, Amanda and Mark Allen and their spouses, Caterina Miltenberger and Kim Allen, great-niece and nephew Ava and Luke Allen, former spouses Carla Krieger and Laura Brazeal as well as countless beloved friends.
Clyde’s life will be celebrated at 10:00 a.m., Monday, February 20th at Restland Funeral Home, with reception to follow. Interment will occur at Restland on a later date.
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