Katherine Anne Phipps

Monday, December 21, 2020

Katherine Anne Phipps passed away Dec. 18, 2020 at the age of 94.

Anne was born June 12, 1926 in Detroit, Mich., to Dr. John Charles Sinclair “Sinc” and Edna Agnes (Hall) Battley.

She grew up in Port Huron, Mich., with her brother Ted. Following her mother’s death when Anne was 14 and her father’s remarriage, brother Hugh joined the family.

She had many stories of watching the freighters travel down the St. Clair River from the back porch and driving over the ice to Canada in the winter to visit relatives. She remembered visiting her grandfather’s house that he built on top of a railroad tunnel and being able to tell the time by when the house shook. She remembered the Great Depression and the times when patients couldn’t pay for their doctor’s bills and so paid her father in chickens, vegetables and, once, a handmade doll house.

After attending high school at Kingswood School Cranbrook, Anne traveled to New York City where she studied music and received a degree in sociology from Barnard College, Columbia University. She went on to Massachusetts General Hospital School of Nursing and received her RN. From Boston she came to Indianapolis, where she took a position at Carter Hospital. It was at Carter Hospital that she met Orbrey Phipps, a dental student working as a night watchman. They married and raised four children. Anne was a stay-at-home mom while the children were young. The family worked together on the family project, Deer Valley Storybook Farm, in Putnam County. They created a working farm for children from the city to come and see what farm life was like. Deer Valley remained open for five years. As the children grew, Anne returned to work at IU School of Nursing influencing the next generation of nurses.

Anne and Orbrey divorced, and Anne moved from Indianapolis to the family farm in Putnam County. She worked to receive her doctorate in folklore from Indiana University and created a new set of courses for nursing students combining folklore and health.

Anne loved history and worked with the Indiana National Road Association to preserve and promote historic U.S. 40. She was active in the Hoosier Folklore Society and the local Heritage Preservation Society. She collected oral histories of local residents so their stories would be preserved.

Anne was a writer. When the children were young, she wrote stories of a mischievous young boy named Twiddleimish, who was always the source of trouble in the house. Later in life she wrote poems. Some to invite friends and family to the yearly Weenie Wag at Deer Valley, some to express sorrow at the passing of a loved one and some to tell the tale of the past year in her Christmas Letter.

Whether she was sharing folk toys with senior citizens to help them remember their pasts, or playing in the creek with her grandchildren to create new memories, Anne was full of life. She had a way of drawing you in, with a smile and genuine questions about your story. She made you feel as if you belonged and that you were part of her extended family. She made and kept friends around the world and across the United States. Once you became her friend, you were a friend for life.

Anne was preceded in death by her father John Charles SInclair Battley; her mother Edna Agnes (Hall) Battley; her brother Edwin Hall Battley; and her stepmother Grace Wakham Battley.

She is survived by her children Rebecca (John) Phillips, John (Julie) Phipps, Paul (Nancy) Phipps and Sarah (Scott) Kiley; and her grandchildren Ben Barham, Drew Phipps, Jack Phipps, Anna Phipps, Robbie Phipps, Rachel Phipps, Teddy Phipps, Megan (Tanner) Hawk, Lauren Kiley and Daniel Kiley. She is also survived by her brother Hugh Battley; and sisters-in-law Susan Battley, Mary Lou Battley, Norma Phipps and Pam Brown; as well as many nieces and nephews.

There will be private graveside services at a later date in Port Huron, Mich.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Putnam County Museum, 1105 N. Jackson St., Greencastle, IN 46135.