Emily Frances Phillips Thrasher, born February 15, 1945, in Decatur, Alabama, died June 23, 2019 at home after a long battle with Parkinson's Disease.  Funeral services will be held on Thursday, June 27th at Ridout's Brown-Service Funeral Home, 711 Memorial Dr SW, Decatur, AL 35601.  There will be a private family visitation from 10:00-10:30, followed by a public visitation from 10:30-Noon with the funeral service at Noon.  Burial will follow the service at Decatur City Cemetery.  The Rev. Dr. Hughey Reynolds will officiate the service.

She was preceded in death by her parents CWO John Warren Phillips, Jr., and Mary Frances McDonald Phillips.  She is survived by husband William Thrasher, daughter Alyson (Tim) Quinn, sister Barbara Mays, and aunt Nancy Salopek.  Emily referred to herself as an Army brat and often spoke fondly of the time she spent living in Stuttgart, Germany as a child, when her father was stationed there.  A 1963 graduate of Decatur High School, she earned a Bachelor's Degree in English from Athens State College in 1967.  While in college, she was a member of Zeta Tau Alpha and Sigma Tau Delta, and also sang in the choir, served on the yearbook staff, and assisted as Vice President Senior Class Officer.  After graduation, she taught high school English at Geraldine High School and Athens High School, rounding off the rest of her teaching years as an English Instructor at Calhoun Community College.