Karla Phillipp, 69, died on October 27 at her new home in Tucson, Arizona.
Karla Philipp’s years of dedication and passion as the volunteer director of the handbell choir, the Calvary Ringers, were just one of the ways she served at Calvary. As a professional musician, Karla had been to Calvary many times over the years, but she first attended as a prospective member in January 2001. She was received into the Episcopal Church in March 2002 and was involved in the ministries of Calvary ever since.
Although Karla officially retired in August 2009 after teaching orchestra for the Memphis City Schools for 30 years, she was still a very active music teacher. She maintained a studio of private students who received weekly lessons on bass technique and literature. She conducted the Memphis Youth String Ensemble and the Memphis Youth String Sinfonia, which were part of the Memphis Youth Symphony Program. She was an adjunct instructor at the University of Memphis, where she taught string methods to music education majors. She also did a little substitute teaching for Shelby County Schools as an orchestra teacher.
In addition to directing the handbell choir at Calvary, Karla served as a lector and a member of the Adult Christian Formation Committee and was an Education for Ministry (EfM) graduate. Over her 20 years at Calvary, Karla came to appreciate many things about Calvary, including the spirit of our mission statement: Making God’s Love Visible in Downtown Memphis. She noted, “The great thing about this statement is that we really mean it. Our parish works every day to help citizens of the Memphis community. No one who needs help is turned away.” Karla also appreciated Calvary’s diverse congregation that spans several generations. But perhaps the most important thing about Calvary to Karla were the words of our Sunday liturgy. The ancient words and prayers filled her heart with joy.
Burial will take place at the Saguaro National Park in Tucson, Arizona, at a later date.
Donations in Karla’s memory may be made to the music program at Calvary Episcopal Church or the Memphis Youth Symphony Program.
Please pray for all of Karla’s family and friends.
