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Mary Angela “Angie” Phillipone passed away peacefully, Monday morning, Nov. 27, 2023, at the age of 97 years young. Her beautiful white hair kept its shine and style, even in her final days.
Mary, who was affectionately known as Angie, was born Aug. 26, 1926, in Uniontown, Kentucky, the fifth of six children born to the late Raymond and Mary McGowan, and came to the Youngstown area after her marriage.
Angie was a 1944 graduate of St. Agnes Catholic School in Kentucky, and during her junior and senior years she held a part-time job at the Army PX at Camp Breckinridge in Morganfield, Kentucky. It is there that she met her future husband, Joe Phillipone, who had been drafted and was in basic training at the camp. The story goes that Joe came into the PX to buy a tube of toothpaste, but Angie wouldn’t sell him one because he didn’t have the required tube to trade in. Her feistiness intrigued Joe, and this was the start of a wartime courtship which was interrupted by Joe’s deployment to Europe. Joe returned to the states and was honorably discharged in October 1945.
In the meantime, Angie was determined to get an education, and Uncle Sam opened the door for her to do so. She was accepted into the United States Cadet Nurse Corps and enrolled at St. Joseph of Nazareth School of Nursing in Louisville, Kentucky, in January 1945. She graduated as a registered nurse in January 1948.
Shortly after graduating from nursing school, Angie and Joe were married, Sept. 25, 1948, at St. Agnes Catholic Church in Uniontown, Kentucky.
After their marriage, Joe and Angie settled in Youngstown, where Angie began her 35-year nursing career, first working at Northside Hospital with the pediatric group of Hutt, Hovinic and Dodgson, and later working at St. Elizabeth Hospital in the Neonatal Intensive Care nursery.
When Joe retired due to health issues in 1977, Angie decided she would work “on call,” so that they could escape the snow in Ohio. They spent their next 18 winters in Clearwater Beach, Florida, always looked forward to attending “Youngstown Day” while there, and enjoyed making new friendships with other “snowbirds” from across the United States and Canada.
A devout Catholic, Angie was an active member of St. Brendan Church in Youngstown for almost 70 years. She was a member of the Mothers Guild and Altar and Rosary Society at the church and worked the Lenten fish fries well into her 80s. Additionally, she was an active member of Seton III and the Catholic Nurses Association.
Angie and Joe were active members of the Warren Chapter of the 83rd Infantry Division, where Angie was a member of the Women’s Auxiliary. From 1959 to 1994, they never missed the annual 83rd Army reunion, as these war buddies were more like family than friends.
Angie leaves to forever cherish her memory, her daughter, Peggy (Larry) Greiner of Cuyahoga Falls; her son, Joe (Suzanne) Phillipone of Woodstock, Georgia; two grandchildren, Katie Greiner (Nathan Prinz) and Courtney (Christopher) Petrone; and four great-grandchildren, Henry and Lucas Prinz, and Hayden and Hailey Petrone. Angie also leaves behind her extended family, Suzanne’s daughters that Joe stepped in to help raise, Valerie (Tom) Brown, Kate (Warren) Sparrow and Meghan Wilson; as well as six great-grandchildren, Hannah, Ben, Jonah, Rosie, Eleanor and Wyatt; and many nieces and nephews.
In addition to her parents, Angie was preceded in death by her husband, Joe, who passed away March 17, 1995; and five siblings, Rosella Schafer, Raymond McGowan, Charles McGowan, Martha Jean Fenwick and Sue Minton.
Family and friends may call 10 to 11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023, at St. Brendan Church, 2800 Oakwood Ave., Youngstown, where a Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11 a.m.
Entombment will follow in Calvary Cemetery in Youngstown, where Angie will be laid to rest next to her beloved Joe.
The family would like to extend a special thank you to the staff at Maplewood Senior Living Community, especially to nurses Samantha, Sandy, Mandy and Heather. A special thank you to Paige Henline, Angie’s aide, who was a constant source of strength and encouragement during the most difficult final days. The family would also like to thank aides Haylee, Maria, Lexie, Ashley, Kyle and Sam K., who Angie referred to as the “A Team” for their kindness, compassionate care and fun chats.
In lieu of flowers, Angie’s family suggests memorial contributions be made to the St. Brendan Memorial Fund, 2800 Oakwood Ave., Youngstown, OH 44509; or to Camp Maria Retreat Center, a ministry of the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth that Angie often supported, via their Camp Maria Retreat Center, 41290 Camp Maria Rd., Leonardtown, MD 20650, or at https://campmaria.org/.
Arrangements have been entrusted to Kinnick Funeral Home in Youngstown. Visit kinnickfuneral home.com to view and share this obituary and to send condolences to Angie’s family
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