Dee Ann Phillips

In Loving Memory of Dee Ann Phillips "Dee Dee" - Multiverse Best Mom

December 6, 1947 – September 22, 2026

On the morning of Tuesday, September 22, 2026, our mother was welcomed to heaven and promoted to an angel with a heart of wings. Dee Ann Phillips passed away peacefully in Montana, the place she loved, doing what she loved: creating art, painting a beautiful guitar, and enjoying her grandson's latest invention, banana chocolate chip cookies.

Dee Ann was born in Pensacola, Florida, to Ruby and Stanley Schmersal. She grew up on military bases, where a medical procedure significantly impacted her hearing. She turned that loss into one of her many gifts, using all her other senses to know every little thing about the people she loved. A birthday card from her never came from Hallmark. She customized each one by hand so that every detail reflected what she loved about that person. Her gifts never came in a bag. She spent hours decorating and hand-wrapping every present, because every detail mattered in expressing her gratitude and love. She was never the loudest in the room, but her heart was likely the biggest.

She put herself through college, earning a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing. She held many titles in her short career and retired as Director of Planning and Development from Houston Medical Testing. Her biggest accomplishments were her two daughters and her grandchildren.

She was an incredible baker who loved creating themed birthday parties for her girls, including 3-D vintage Wilton cakes. One time, she turned a 3-D Easter egg cake pan into a Strawberry Shortcake doll cake for her youngest daughter, Dawn. Every Christmas she made friendship bread, a Czechoslovakian coffee cake whose smell filled the kitchen and signaled that the holidays were here. She loved teaching her grandchildren and extended family how to make and properly wrap egg rolls. A world traveler, she lived abroad in Jakarta, Indonesia, and the Philippines, and once crossed the International Date Line on her birthday to postpone turning 30.

She loved telling stories about her family, fur babies, close friends, and especially her grandchildren. She taught all of us the value of family, faith, and love, as well as the value of thread count and a properly made bed with clean 1,000-count Egyptian sheets. She believed in Jesus and had an incredible spiritual connection, always reminding us to look for hummingbirds, rainbows, and God's whispers in nature and in life.

She once met a stranger at the airport while waiting for luggage after an international flight. She was pregnant with her first daughter, and the stranger was carrying her oldest on her back. The two women threw each other's baby showers and became lifelong friends. That was our mom: compassionate, creative, and always believing in others in ways they could not always see for themselves. She taught us patience, purpose, and, most of all, persistence. Once she stopped her car on the freeway and turned the car around to make me pick up the lifeguard books I had intentionally left behind after failing the physical portion of the exam. She was competitive at bridge, won at Mahjong on her first try, and was wicked at Scrabble, despite adding "L's" where they didn't belong, as in "Alvocado" and "Flajitas." Her biggest lesson was to savor the little things with the people you love most, and that failure is God's way of letting you learn what's worth fighting for.

Dee Dee is lovingly survived by:

• Her oldest daughter and honored caregiver, Vandi Theriot; son-in-law Jason Theriot; grandsons Braden ("Brae Brae") and Zachary ("Snickers 2"); and grandfurbabies Scarlet and Brishette
• Her youngest daughter, Dawn Ashea Phillips, and granddaughters Dailyn, Ruby, and Maisie
• Her brother, Tracy Schmersal, and sister, Annette Warmke, and their families
• Her niece Julie Harris; great-nieces Jaci Collins and Payten Mica; and great-great-nieces Scout, Sloan, Miller, and Dane
• Her close friend and former roommate, Carol, and her "golden girls for life," Susie Warren, Suzanne Cadwell, and JaNeal Beougher

She was preceded in death by her parents, Ruby and Stanley Schmersal. She welcomed her little sister, Jan Schmersal, who passed away just days later on September 27, 2026, with open arms in heaven.

From Vandi:

Dear Mom,

Being your daughter and best friend was one of the greatest honors of my life. You made everything so magical, from convincing me that rambutans were candy on trees to roller-skating past my second-grade classroom several times before entering, dressed as Raggedy Ann, to sell PTA spaghetti and your homemade school bus cake tickets. Although you worried that you were a burden, I hope you knew how deeply I treasured caring for you.

I miss our teatime; debating which actor's films to binge-watch next; dancing to "Harvest Moon," "Snowbird," and Neil Diamond; making crafts; and watching you smile as you watched guys do cold plunges while I hiked. Most of all, I miss enjoying the sweetness of doing nothing by your side. Thank you for teaching me to see the good, to experience the world through my heart, and to protect it at the same time. I miss doing things as a pair. I miss repeating myself at just the right angle, tone, and pace, while laughing as you read the lips of someone across the room asking if anyone wanted candy. I miss the pride you took in your children and grandchildren, your dry humor, and, most of all, kissing your forehead, beginning each day, and ending each night with, "I love you."

You were right about your age, and I'm sorry I convinced you that you were a year older than you were. You were right to know how this would affect me, but you and Dad instilled in both of us that living means loving and loving means growth. I have felt your presence and guidance in ways only God can explain, I don't know how you got that executive-level approval, but it meant everything.

Whenever there is a hummingbird, a unique rainbow, a Snickers bar, or 1,000-count Egyptian sheets, I will remember that the little things in life are what makes it big. I will think of your smile and your joy in il dolce far niente, the sweetness of doing nothing, with the ones you love.

You will always be my angel and remain forever in my heart. I hope you are all making egg rolls, crabbing on heaven’s docks, and laughing as the papillons nibble at your ankles. Don’t miss your new-angel orientation—we need you to watch over and guide us, your 5-2-3, and Cadence until we meet again. P.S. Robert Redford is next after I finish Julia Roberts. I finally watched Eat, Pray, Love 😊

I love you so much, Vandi

From Dawn: 

Mom, I miss you so much. So many beautiful turns in my life were guided by you. Even when I was too young to fully understand the sacrifices you made for me and my future, I came to realize over time how grateful and blessed I was to have you as my mother. You are the reason I was able to create the life I have. The futures of your three grand-girls are, and will continue to be, greatly influenced by your persistence and love.

Packing up the home we once called ours to move you to Arizona was so hard, but it was wonderful to learn the stories behind all the long-lost items stored in the attic. The road trip that followed was one of the best times I had with you. I learned so much from the unique and loving ways you celebrated Vandi and me on our special days. The days leading up to your leaving this world to meet Mamaw and Papaw will be cherished always. Our FaceTimes mean so much more now that you're gone.

You taught me to follow my heart and be free of the world's restrictions, but with respect and integrity. You taught me to love and accept people for who they are, while influencing them to find and follow what matters most to them. It is a beauty I reinforce daily with my own kids and my "school kids."

From making egg rolls to cooking spaghetti sauce all day to baking the best coffee cakes, your legacy of love and devotion to family and friends will be carried on through us. Please kiss everyone up there and keep your hand on our shoulders until we meet y'all there.

I love you, Mom, Dawn

Ways to Honor Dee Dee

In Lieu of Flowers: The family invites you to honor Dee Dee's journey with hearing loss by donating to: The Cochlear Awareness Foundation® (CIAF)

Meal Support: 

Within the past month, Dee Dee's daughters, Vandi and Dawn, lost their father and their mother, and Dawn's daughter Maisie lost her father. For those who would like to help the family with a meal, please email a DoorDash or Uber Eats gift card to:

• Vandi: HRgigs@outlook.com
• Dawn: Dawnashea@gmail.com

Celebration of Life: Instead of a traditional funeral, mom requested that her family and friends celebrate her life in remembrance. We will be sharing a slide show next week with a song that captures our love and gratitude for our mother, a song she got to listen to and appreciate as her song from us earlier this year. We hope you will enjoy the shared memories.