Richard Philip Phelps, age 94, died peacefully on October 22, 2024, at Cedar Woods Assisted Living, in Belleville, MI. He was born on January 23, 1930 in Van Lear, Kentucky, to the late Jay and Malta (Sammons) Phelps. On August 8, 1953, he was joined in marriage with Edith Marie Woodruff. They enjoyed over 60 years together before she passed away in 2015.
Richard was a proud veteran of the United States Army, 82nd Airborne Division. After his service he was a dedicated production worker for more than thirty years at Ford Motor Company. Richard was a very involved and longtime member of St. Dominic Church in Clinton. He sang in the choir, helped with a lot of the maintenance and volunteered to help with Meals on Wheels. Outside of church, Richard had numerous interests. He loved woodworking, fishing, camping, bird watching, reading, watching nature shows, going on car rides, and he especially enjoyed his great-grandchildren.
Richard is survived by his two sons, Rick (Stephanie) Phelps of Colchester, VT, and Ray (Marcie) Phelps of Adrian, MI; three daughters, Kathy (Gary) Krajewski of Belleville, MI, Lisa Phelps Gonzalez of Minneapolis, MN, and Heidi (Rick) Aranda of Clinton, MI; a brother Gary (Lou) Phelps of Tennessee; a sister, Lois; grandchildren, Kelly Collins, Karen Fritz, Emily Phelps, Eric Phelps, Raquel Gonzalez, Celeste Gonzalez, and Liam Phelps; great-grandchildren, Chloe, Madelyn, Lila, Elise Collins and Leonard, Katie, and Natalie Fritz.
In addition to his parents and his wife, Richard was preceded in death by seven brothers, three sisters, and a great-grandchild, Michael Fritz.
Visitation for Richard will be held at the Clinton Chapel of Handler Funeral Homes from 4:00 pm – 8:00 pm on Thursday October 24, 2024, with a prayer service at 7:00 pm. A Funeral Mass will be held at 11:00 am on Friday, October 25, 2024 at St. Dominic Church in Clinton, MI, with celebrant FR. Daniel Wheeler. Burial in St. Dominic Cemetery will follow with military honors under the auspices of American Legion Post #176. Memorial contributions may be made to Cedar Woods Assisted Living or Heart to Heart Hospice of Southgate