Ingetraut G. Phillips (Inge)

Ingetraut G. Phillips (Inge), (87), of Christiansburg, passed away on May 21, 2019 in Christiansburg Va.
A Celebration of Life gathering will be held on Tuesday, May 28, 2019 from 6-8pm at Horne Funeral Home in Christiansburg Va. A short graveside service will be held on Friday, May 31, 2019, 3pm at Mountain View Cemetery in Rural Retreat VA.
Inge was born in Breslau, Germany on April 14, 1932 to August Johann and Helene Maria Anna Paul. She met her future husband while she worked for the US Army in Germany. Inge then joined Charles Dale Phillips in the United States in 1959 and married Dale on July 1, 1964 and became a US citizen in November of 1967.
Determined to assimilate to the American culture, she conquered the language barrier by teaching herself English. She could be seen carrying a dictionary and using children’s books (specifically: Smokey the Bear) to assist with mastering the English language.
Being strong willed and tenacious, she excelled at almost any challenge she took on, including a mandatory college level class that was required for her job at the time.
She was a survivor and a realist working hard alongside her husband to make a good living for themselves, two children, and her parents who had joined the household.
Inge was a very talented person who loved to knit and crochet. She created many beautiful pieces that she gave to friends, donated, or sold.
She also loved to have fun, laugh, and dance. She was smooth out on the dance floor knowing the steps to almost any dance. While watching Molly Polka or The Big Joe Polka Show on T.V., Inge would mention that this was the best music and she would come alive moving her feet to the rhythm of the beat and her eyes sparkled with joy.
Ingetraut is preceded in death by her beloved parents, her loving husband and partner of 28 years, and her stepson Dale (Butch).
Inge is survived by her daughter Heidi Helene, her son Eric Lee, three step daughters (Sandy, Gail, and Barbara), her cousin Renate and her three children (Werner, Cornelia, and Manuela), and her cousin Mariechen and her daughter, Siglinde.
In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made to either the Breast Cancer Research Foundation/BCRF https://www.bcrf.org/ or The National Kidney Foundation https://www.kidney.org/
The family of Ingetraut wishes to extend our sincere thanks to Jill Frizzell, Anna and Gerry McGrath, Ruth Boothe, and Emily Davis.