Mrs. Patricia Pauline (Bulger) Bell Phillips

*****ATTENTION FRIENDS & EXTENDED FAMILY---IN LIEU OF FLOWERS, DONATIONS CAN BE MADE "IN MEMORY OF PATRICIA BELL (BULGER) PHILLIPS" TO EITHER OF THE FOLLOWING ORGANIZATIONS: ST. MARTIN OF TOURS EPISCOPAL CHURCH 2010 Nichols Road - Kalamazoo, MI. 49004 NORTHSIDE ASSOCIATION FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT C/O Mattie Jordan-Woods-Executive Director 612 North Park Street Kalamazoo, MI. 49007 ****PLEASE CONSIDER THIS REQUEST INSTEAD OF SENDING FLOWERS**** __________________________ ****NOTE: ST. MARTIN OF TOURS EPISCOPAL CHURCH IS HOSTING A CELEBRATION OF LIFE SERVICE FOR THE FAMILY OF PATRICIA P. (BULGER) BELL PHILLIPS ON SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2022. ****PLEASE SEE SERVICE & LOCATION INFORMATION BELOW *****WHEN ENTERING THE CHURCH: MASKS AND SOCIAL DISTANCING ARE STILL REQUIRED. THE CHURCH WILL PROVIDE HAND SANITIZER WHEN ENTERING THE BUILDING. *****If you have any questions, please contact us at: (269) 342-1000 ___________________________ The Obituary Patricia Pauline (Bulger) Bell Phillips (Pat) peacefully passed on October 31, 2022. Pat was the fifth of six children born to Idella Atkins and Horace Ward Bulger in Chicago, Illinois on January 13, 1933. She grew up on the South Side of Chicago where she attended the Betsy Ross Elementary and Englewood High Schools. She would later join her older brother Harold William Bulger, Sr. and his family in Tacoma, Washington, where she completed her high school education. She attended Christ the Mediator Lutheran Church in Chicago, where she accepted Christ at an early age. Pat was preceded in death by her 5 siblings (Mildred Beatrice, Harold William, Charles Edward, Josephine Leah, and Horace Ward Bulger). At the time of her passing, Pat was married to Dr. Romeo Eldridge Phillips. Pat and Romeo were wed on January 18, 2003, in Portage, Michigan. Romeo and Pat first met as children in Chicago, Illinois. At that time, Romeo was a classmate and friend of Pat’s older sister, Josephine Bulger Lewis, and they lived one block away from each other. Pat shared with her sister that she had a crush on Romeo, but given the age difference, it was cute, but of course it just remained a childhood crush. Years later, both Romeo and Patricia would marry their respective spouses, each having their own beautiful children. In 2002, both now long single, (Romeo widowed and Pat divorced), they would reconnect after a chance meeting at Pat’s younger brother Horace’s home during a small family gathering. Romeo had been invited by Pat’s brother Horace. After a series of jokes, they connected, the magic happened, and they were married six months later. Pat would move to Portage and join her siblings, Harold, Sr., Josephine, and Horace, all of whom had made a sibling vow to live in the same city where they would take care of each other. The union of Pat and Romeo resulted in the uniting of two wonderful extended families which started with Chicago childhood roots and later reconnected in Portage, Michigan. At the time, Romeo was a retired Professor Emeritus at Kalamazoo College. Pat was the perfect combination of brains, beauty, and community. Pat was Director of the DEED program in Chicago in 2000 and at that time, had amassed over 20 years of economic development experience, which included being a Project Coordinator for the Douglas Development Corporation, Executive Director of the Lawndale Local Development Corporation, and numerous other Committees. She was also active in the City of Chicago with CANDO, the Chicago Association of Neighborhood Development Organizations, where she worked with city politicians and community activists. It was there that she met and worked with a young activist named Barack Obama, who would later become President Barack Obama. They worked on a project to eliminate lead paint from the walls of an Altgeld Gardens Homes housing project. She was also instrumental in getting a major retail chain to open a store on the South Side of Chicago. Pat was also active in the Kalamazoo/Portage, area where she was instrumental in getting a small shopping center to include a full service grocery store as part of the Northside Community revitalization efforts. This was important because the area was a food desert and local residents did not have access to a grocery store. Pat’s brother, the late Harold Bulger, Sr. was on the Board of Northside Community and when they needed a development expert, Harold recommended that they talk to Pat who had years of development experience in Chicago. Through that introduction, Pat was engaged, and her expertise in development helped to make the grocery store development a reality. (Previously, retailers did not believe a store of this type could be profitable in a community like the Northside). The grocery store is currently called the Park Street Market (formerly known as the Felpausch Market). The success of this initiative brought other small retail businesses into the Northside neighborhood. Pat was a lover of books and was a member of the Novel Bunch book readers club. She and Romeo loved to travel and took many trips domestically and abroad. They were looking forward to a combined celebration of their marriage of 20 years, Pat’s (90th) birthday and Romeo’s (95th) birthday in April, 2023. Pat is survived by her son, Jeffrey Bell and daughter-in-law, Faye Bell; 6 grandchildren, Alexis, Nicolas, Nicole, Jeffrey Jr., Johnathan, and Christian; 2 nieces, Dr. Stephanie Bulger Oliver (Glenn) and Vivian Lewis Lambert (Alvin); 3 nephews, Attorney Harold Bulger, Jr. (Sandra), Mark Bulger (Jamie), and Ronald Lewis (Doris); special grandniece, Rev. Dr. Kimberly Lewis Davis (Mark) and grandnephew, Attorney Harold “Tres” Bulger, III (Danielle); cousin, Elania Day, several other cousins, and grandnieces and nephews; 2 step children, Arthur Camara (Fadu) and Pam Golson; 2 stepchildren, Arthur Camara (Fadu) and Pam Golson; step grandchildren, Aaron Golson, Brian Golson, Dia Camara, Jaxson Camara, Abiola Camara, Deloris Folade Camara, Kemi Camara, Ayofemi Camara and Korede Camara and several very special friends. Pat will be long remembered by her friends and family as sincere and candid. She was smart, strikingly beautiful and sophisticated. Her demeanor was calm and reassuring and she loved her family to no end. She made it her passion to continue the work shared with her siblings of researching the Bulger family history. Today, Patricia, we bid you farewell but not goodbye, as you rest peacefully in God’s arms.

Mrs. Patricia Pauline (Bulger) Bell Phillips

January 13, 1933 - October 31, 2022