Russell A. Phipps

Russell A Phipps, 102 year old WWII Veteran of Hopkinton, passed away peacefully on February 25, 2024, at The Residence of Valley Farm, a premium senior living facility in Ashland. He was surrounded by his two children and very close Hospice workers.  He was husband to his beloved wife Doris for 71 years and upon her passing in 2015 continued to enjoy life at their home of 75 years until they were reunited.  He leaves behind a Son Russell and wife Joan (recently deceased) and a daughter Marcia and son-in-law Fred, a granddaughter Tracy and a grandson, his wife and two great granddaughters.

Born in Framingham on December 28, 1921 the second of two boys he was the son of Harry E. and Gertrude S. (Flood) Phipps.  He was raised in Framingham and graduated from Framingham High in 1942.   He started working as an office boy for Dennison Mfg. Co until he entered the US Army Air Corps in 1942.   Because of his ‘sharpshooter’ qualification he served stateside in Colorado as an Instructor of Firearms before being shipped to Florida where he became involved in the armament of the B-29 aircraft. Eventually he was shipped to Tinian in the Mariana Islands where he served out his time in the Armed Forces having worked on the Enola Gay B-29 that was used to drop the atomic bomb ending WWII in 1945.

He returned home in 1946 to reunite with his wife and infant son Russell.  After returning from Military Service he lived for several months in a tent on a friends farm in Framingham then spent 3 years living in The Musterfield Housing in Framingham.  After adding a daughter Marcia to his family they moved to Woodville on Lake Whitehall where he built his home and spend 75 wonderful years of living.  He worked over the years as an Inventive Engineer for Dennison Mfg. Co, Bay State Abrasives, Sweetheart Plastics, Si-Cal,  Woodplex and during the late 50’s-60’s ran his own sawmill and logged the Upton State Forest and other locations.  He sold his lumber locally and to neighboring schools.

He was an outdoorsman since a child.  He enjoyed hunting, fishing, archery, canoeing, mountain climbing, birding with his wife, raising his two children, playing the banjo and guitar, as a young man he and his brother played trumpet for a radio station out of Boston, and traveling across America.  He would not be bashful about telling folks not to get stuck in an office somewhere and realize too late that our country had so much to offer and that everyone should consider working less, save your money and make the journey across America and meet folks from every walk of life….he did just that with his two children one summer and later on with beagle in tow he and Doris spent 4 months each year traveling and living on ranches in Texas making life-long friendships along the way.  They bought property on Westport Island Maine 50 years ago and enjoyed a wonderful relationship with the Island folks up until the end.

He was a member of the NRA since childhood and became a Life Benefactor member of the NRA.  He felt that the Second Amendment Right to Bear Arms is one of the most important constitutional rights afforded to American citizens and should be protected at all costs.  He lived thru wars where if countries like ours had had the benefits of such a constitutional right we might have not lost so many humans to War…Having lived thru WWI and WWII, the depression and subsequent wars thereafter he was considered as having earned the right to be considered as having lived in THE GREATEST GENERATION.

In his final years he has been actively interviewed by TV, radio stations, Nashoba Valley Living, Access Framingham, Hopkinton Oral History Project and spent many a wonderful hours enjoying being a part of the events held at the American Heritage Museum in Hudson, MA…part of the Collings Foundation.  He remained with sharpness of mind til he passed and enjoyed sharing stories of his life with family, friends and caregivers. He also celebrated his 100 & 101 birthday with ‘drive by’ parades from Hopkinton police, fire and DPW vehicles with his 101st sporting a Sherman Tank from the American Heritage Museum. He was a gentle Giant of a man with a great sense of humor and willing to stop and chat and help anyone in need.  Check him out on Youtube (RUSSELL PHIPPS).

He will be missed by all who knew and loved him.  Not many folks can cram 7 lifetimes into 1…he managed to do it effortlessly and with grace and honor.  He would always say to folks leaving “You all come back now and STAY FROSTY!”

A great and well deserved “thanks” to all the support of Amedysis Hospice for all their dedication to Russell’s care.

There are no public services planned at this time.

Donations can be made in Russell’s honor to the American Heritage Military Museum in Hudson MA via americanheritagemuseum.org/