Ottis Phillips

Ottis Hansel Phillips Jr., age 71 of Cookeville, passed away suddenly Tuesday, February 7, 2023 at his home.

He was born July 19, 1951 in Cookeville to the late Ottis Hansel Phillips Sr. and Pauline Valentine Clark Phillips.

Ottis graduated from Putnam County Senior High School in 1969 before enrolling at Tennessee Technological University in the fall of that year. As a walk-on player, Ottis earned an athletic scholarship and was a four-year letterman for the Golden Eagle football team. He received his bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1974 and his MBA in 1978.

After graduation, he worked at Fleetguard, where he won a patent award for a diesel filter that he helped to develop. In addition to working for Fleetguard, Ottis worked for the Adolf Coors Co. before accepting a position with Willow Distributors in Dallas. Eventually he returned to his hometown of Cookeville in 1990 to accept the position of general manager for SEC Distributorship.

After selling his company in 2016, Ottis joined the Board of Directors for Progressive Financial Group and Progressive Savings Bank in March 2016. Two years later he became its chairman and later in 2018 assumed the position of president and CEO of Progressive Financial Group which sold to SmartFinancial in 2019.

Ottis was passionate about his alma maters and his community, serving on the Cavalier Foundation supporting Cookeville High School, the Hall of Fame Committee for TTU Athletics, the TTU Foundation Board of Directors, and he was a past chairman of the Cookeville-Putnam County Chamber of Commerce. He served as the first chair of the TSSAA Steering Committee, which brought the BlueCross / BlueShield Bowl to Cookeville in 2008. In 2022 Ottis was inducted into the TTU Sports Hall of Fame. In 2013 he was named the Tennessee Tech Athletics Outstanding Alumnus of the Year and in 2018 he was honored with the Outstanding Philanthropy Award from Tennessee Tech’s Alumni Association.

He is survived by his wife of 42 years, Cindy Gray Phillips; daughters, Kristie Phillips, Mary Beth (Blake) Herron, and Emily Phillips Rains all of Cookeville; sons, Parker (Shannon) Phillips of Brentwood and Hunter (Dallas) Phillips of Nashville; sister, Pat Doughty of Cookeville; grandchildren, Caden Herron, Leigha Herron, Jack Rains, Lyndon Katherine Rains, Reagan Phillips, and Emerson Phillips.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his son-in-law, Steve Rains; and brother, Mike Doughty.

A celebration of Ottis’ life will be held at 1 p.m. Friday, February 10 at Cookeville First Cumberland Presbyterian Church on 10th Street in Cookeville. Dr. Charles McCaskey and Rev. Christian Smith will officiate. His family will receive friends Friday from 10 a.m. until service time. Serving as honorary pallbearers will be the Cookeville High School Cavalier 1965-68 football teams and the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagle 1969-72 football teams.

In lieu of flowers, gifts may be made to the Tennessee Tech Football Operations Center, TTU Box 5057, Cookeville, TN 38505 or the Rains Foundation, P.O. Box 127, Cookeville, TN 38503.

Hooper Huddleston and Horner Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. (931) 526-6111 Share your thoughts and memories at www.hhhfunerals.com