Remembering Lori Phillips

The Bringing Families Together family is saddened by the loss of long-time former team member Lori Phillips, who passed away on May 19, 2026, following a short illness. She was 66 years old.

Lori dedicated 20 years of service to Bringing Families Together. She joined the organization in January 2001 as just the fourth employee, helping lay the foundation for the agency we know today. Throughout her career, Lori served as a dedicated case manager before transitioning to our Intensive In-Home Services team. She had a special passion for working with youth and made a lasting difference in the lives of countless children and families.

Over the years, Lori became much more than a valued team member. She was a trusted colleague, a loyal friend and someone who brought joy and laughter wherever she went. Many staff members affectionately remember Lori as our "Cruise Director" — always planning ways for everyone to have fun and bringing people together. She also never passed up an opportunity to smile for the camera.

One of her colleagues shared a vivid portrait of Lori’s personality that captures just how fully she showed up in every space she entered. Lori was meticulous about her nails, and you could often tell she had arrived by the sound of her long nails clicking across the keyboard. She had a flair for style and an impressive collection of leggings to match nearly any color imaginable.

She also loved her silver high-heeled boots, which she would proudly wear before eventually switching into tennis shoes when it was time to get comfortable—often still wearing them to BFT gatherings. She liked to say, “Nobody messes with BFT!”

Lori brought humor, warmth and a playful spirit wherever she went. She loved dinosaurs, especially Godzilla, and could quote lines from Gilligan’s Island and The Color Purple. One of her favorite episodes was Gilligan’s Island when Gilligan talks to a ghost in the jungle.

Her connection to BFT also ran deep in ways that stretched back long before her career began. Lori’s father, Eugene Pool, was a principal at Beaumont High School in the late 1970s and had attended college with the mother of one of her longtime colleagues. That same colleague shared that they first met as toddlers, going to the same pediatrician while their parents chatted in the waiting room—completely unaware that years later they would grow up and work side by side. Lori’s father also served as a principal to that colleague’s older sister at Beaumont High School.

Lori was a proud member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. and a graduate of Central Missouri State University.

She also had a mischievous and lighthearted side that made her unforgettable to those who worked with her. Lori loved decorating for Halloween and was known for placing very realistic hairy spiders around the office—one of them famously named Sapphire.

She enjoyed pulling off practical jokes as well, including helping orchestrate a surprise involving a “Chuckie” doll hidden inside a cooler during a team-building float trip on the Big River, much to the shock of her teammate Ruben. She also once kept asking, “But what is the name of the Big River?” while everyone patiently replied, “The Big River.”

Another colleague remembered her love of glasses and how she always had multiple pairs, along with her favorite pastime of shopping—especially for her grandbabies.

Lori retired from Bringing Families Together in September 2021, leaving behind a legacy of compassion, dedication and service. Her impact continues to be felt through the many lives she touched during her two decades with the agency.

Lori is survived by her daughter, LaToya Hilton, and four grandchildren in Atlanta.

Her Celebration of Life is Saturday, June 13, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., at Church of the Living God:  Temple of Faith, 1610 S. Florissant Road, Cool Valley, Missouri 63121.

Lori's daughter has also established a GoFundMe account to help support the Celebration of Life in St. Louis. Those wishing to contribute may visit: www.gofundme.com/f/celebrating-lori-phillips-life-in-st-louis.

We extend our heartfelt condolences to Lori's family, friends and all who had the privilege of knowing her. She will be deeply missed and fondly remembered.