Mrs. Lee Phillips Kromer went to be with her Lord and Savior on August 24, 2025 at 11:25 am following a brief, serious illness, 6 days after her 86th birthday. Her daughter and two family friends were with her when she took her last breath, peacefully.
Born to Eavie and Clinton Phillips in 1939, Lee was the 2nd of 4 children, and grew up on a dairy farm in Willis Virginia.
After graduating high school, she went to Richmond, Virginia with her best friend. They lived at the YWCA and found jobs close enough to walk to. They had a lot of fun together but she often felt homesick for her family and the mountains she grew up in. They stayed close until her death.
She married the love of her life in 1972, and she and Paul Kromer had 8 wonderfully happy years together. Sadly, she lost him to cancer when he was only 48 and she was 41. During that time, Paul taught her to play golf well enough that she won several tournaments. He was a wonderful husband and father, who profoundly influenced her and her daughter's lives.
She never re-married, however she and her only child enjoyed spending time together doing simple things, in addition to traveling together. Lee loved to laugh, had a dry sense of humor and was a bit of a prankster, especially with her daughter.
She was a Registered Nurse and had a real estate license, but enjoyed working as an administrative assistant the most. She worked for Pratt & Whitney in West Palm Beach during the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962.
She was the admin assistant to the Eastern Airlines medical director, then to the Miami Dolphins team doctor in the eighties. She last worked for Visiting Nurse, until she was 71.
She lived a full life, traveling to Spain, South Africa, across Europe, Canada, and the United States. She loved people, animals of all kind, birds, and gardening. She was a master gardener and people often stopped to admire her yard and ask for advice.
There was never a time she didn't have cats, her favorite animal. She was often seen on her roof, leaf blower in hand and loved being outdoors most of all. She also loved "scrap booking" and created many special scrap books with stories included with the pictures. She loved plays, the opera, and was an avid reader, mostly of historical non-fiction.
Most of all, she loved God and lived to serve Him faithfully. She was a member of First Redeemer Baptist Church, loved their orchestra and choir, and attending the "joyful noise" luncheons every other Monday.
Lee is survived by her only child, Susie Wilson; an older sister, Mardell Phillips, a younger brother John Phillips (Barbara), sister in law Susan Kromer Bortz, nieces Tressia Price, Linda Sue Cox, Monica Shumate, and nephews Greg Hylton, Randy Marshall, Bradford Phillips and Tony Hylton. In addition there are many beloved cousins with whom she had a close relationship.
Her Celebration of Life Memorial Service will be held on Friday, September 5 at 2pm at First Redeemer Baptist Church (2100 Peachtree Pkwy, Cumming, GA 30041) with visitation starting at 1:15pm. In honor of Lee's love of flowers and the outdoors you are invited to wear bright happy colors.