Former Union Gospel Mission Director Roger Phillips Loses Battle With Cancer

Longtime Yakima Union Gospel mission director Roger Phillips has died.  He passed away at his home Friday night after a year long battle with pancreatic cancer. In 1968  Phillips gave up a successfull building business in Sacramanto to move to Yakima to take over the struggling mission.

He retired his full time work at the mission 15 years ago and turned it over to his son Rick who says his dad's legacy is that he had a love for the poor and wanted them to know the love of Christ. He said  "Roger Phillips was a force for the Gospel, he knew that God had placed him here for no other reason then to share the love of Christ with people,  so that they would have a hope for eternity and that they would know the God that he knew."

Today the mission has a youth center.. a full campus on North First street that provides food and housing to men and women and families, along with a medical and dental clinic.

Roger Phillips  leaves behind his wife of 63 years, Norma.  He was 82 years old. Funeral services will be a week from today at Westside Church in Yakima at 2 o'clock.