Mary Elizabeth Phillips Hutchins
March 20, 1926 ~ July 1, 2012
Resided in:
Asheville, NC
Mary Elizabeth Phillips Hutchins, 86, of Asheville, died on Sunday, July 1, 2012, at St. Joseph Campus, Mission Hospitals.
A native of Mitchell Co., Mrs. Hutchins was the daughter of the late Everette L. and Edna Greene Phillips. She was also preceded in death by her husband, Paul Edgar Hutchins, who died in 1987.
Mrs. Hutchins worked over 10 years as an assistant in Billy Graham's personal library. From her desire to help children, she had also worked as a special education teacher for Thoms Rehab Hospital. She was a member of First Baptist Church of Swannanoa.
Mrs. Hutchins is survived by her sons, Philip Michael Hutchins, of Carlisle, MA, Gary Stephen Hutchins, of Indian Trail, NC, and Alan Anthony Hutchins, of Matthews, NC; sister, Nina Louise Guigou; brothers, Bruce L. Phillips, and Kenneth R. Phillips; grandchildren, Mark, Melissa, Ashton, Krista, and Melanie; and great-grandchildren, Van and Ella, they all were the joy of her life.
A funeral service for Mrs. Hutchins will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, July 7, 2012, at First Baptist Church of Swannanoa with Pastor Steve Rayburn and the Rev. Randy Melton officiating. Interment will follow at Pisgah View Memorial Park.
Visitation for the family will start at 8:00 a.m. at the church. Friends are then invited to join the family at 9:00 a.m., one hour prior to the service.
Groce Funeral Home on Patton Ave. is assisting the family.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Meals on Wheels, 146 Victoria Rd., Asheville, NC 28801.
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Dear Family and Friends, We send our love and prayers to you all at this time of loss. But we rejoice in the promised hope of our Lord Jesus Christ’s return to gather the believers, when our beloved Mary will enjoy a perfect body for eternity. I Thess. 4:16-18. Our love to you. Louis and Teresa Guigou
We are so sorry to hear of the Mary’s passing but know that she is in a better place than we are. We will be thinking of your family in the weeks to come as you deal with her passing. David and Sondra
I was so blessed to sit in Sunday School with Mary and hear her tell us about the ‘Whole Armor of God’. She was a wonderful role model and I only hope I can be the inspiration to other people that she has been to me. I am so happy for her promotion. ‘Heaven’s Sounding Sweeter all the Time’. She now is enjoying the rewards that were most deserved and that she worked so hard for.
I have so many fond memories of wonderful visits with Mrs. Hutchins. She was a fascinating person, and her home was always full of the most interesting things. Perhaps what was most captivating about her was an intrinsic quality of absolute self-confidence radiating not from a feeling of superiority, but from a firm knowledge of who she was and what her purpose in life was. She exemplified the Proverbs 31 woman: ‘She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future. When she speaks, her words are wise, and she gives instruction with kindness.’ Though she will be missed, her legacy lives on in the many lives she touched during her sojourn here.
Dear Family, Your in our prayers and thoughts. I (Diane) was one of Mrs. Hutchins students from Thoma Rehab Hospital.
My condolences to the children and grandchildren of Mrs. Hutchins.