Obituary of William L. Phillips

William L. Phillips “Bill” formerly of Nashville, TN, passed away July 24th, 2007. He was 79. Survivors include his wife, Rosalie Phillips, and their son, Matthew Phillips of NY; other children include Clayton Phillips of TX, Melody Bickley of Florida, and Courtney Phillips of OH; brother, YY. Phillips, Jr. and his wife, Bettye of St. Petersburg, FL.; sister, Peggy Weldon of St. Petersburg, FL; and many loving nieces, nephews and grandchildren. Bill was born February 8th, 1928 in Winter Park, FL where his parents, Y.Y. and Lillian had relocated while his father was in the construction business, building roads and overseeing other projects on the east coast of FL. The family moved back to Nashville where Bill completed his education, excelling in all sports including football, basketball and boxing. He was captain of the football team and still holds the record at West End High School for the most blocked punts in one game. After attending Murray State in Kentucky he went to work for a local business college in Nashville which was the stepping stone to his career in owning and operating over 100 national job training schools and business colleges in the country. Eventually he sold his company “Career Enterprises, Inc.” to Fuqua Industries out of Atlanta in a multimillion dollar merger. He also owned and operated a private airline, “Red Carpet Flying Service”, which flew scuba divers and deep sea fishermen to the Cayman Islands, Bahamas, and Jamaica. In 1973 he built and operated a 400 seat restaurant, “The Fisherman’s Inn” in St. Petersburg, FL, which quickly became one of the most popular and successful restaurants in the area. Most recently, he was involved in commercial real estate sales in the Sarasota and Manatee area. Bill will be deeply missed by his loved ones.Farley Funeral Home, Venice Chapel, is handling arrangements. A Visitation will be held from 12-1 PM, Saturday, July 28th, 2007 at Farley Funeral Home, Venice Chapel. A Funeral Service will be held following the Visitation at 1 PM. Entombment at Venice Memorial Gardens will immediately follow the service. Memorial Donations may be made to TideWell Hospice and Palliative Care, 5955 Rand Boulevard, Sarasota, FL 34238 or a charity of your choice. To send condolences visit www.farleyfuneralhome.com