Katie Jean King Phillips

The love from every infinite space
Of The Great Wide Open
Fills me completely
Thriving is being present in all of it
– Katie

Obituary

Kathryn Jean King Phillips, known to all as Katie, died on August 20, 2026 from cancer at the age of 47. Born on June 26, 1979 in Fremont, Nebraska, Katie was wife to Bryan Phillips; mother to Axel and Shelby Phillips; granddaughter to Sylvia Borgmeyer, daughter to Pamela and Jeffrey King; and sister to Molly Bird (husband TJ), Andrew King, and Nikki Dean (husband Jared).

Katie was a thoughtful, intentional, and loving person who lived a life of joy. She considered herself a dog soul partner to her dogs Aysa, Zoey, and Angel. She thrived by being outside, whether it was swimming, camping, hiking – often with her dogs, or simply observing the natural world. She was an avid reader and founder of a book club. A lover of routines, she enjoyed mornings to herself where she would tend to Angel, make hand-ground coffee, read the newspaper, and exercise her mind with a crossword puzzle.

Never one to be stationary, Katie made a career out of movement, beginning as a personal trainer and ultimately evolving into a movement therapist. Through her work she touched the lives of many people. Not only did she enable them to live an active life, she befriended and made an impact on many of their lives.

A life-long athlete, Katie was a collegiate tennis player at Webster University where she was part of a Division III champion team – as well as a summa cum laude graduate in 2002. Over her adulthood she was always growing and moving. She was a blue belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, a lover of yoga, a daily swimmer, and generally thrived on movement.

Katie was preceded in death by her maternal grandfather Max Borgmeyer, paternal grandparents Reed and Jean King, and her aunt Jeanne King Friedrichs. She was also preceded by two loving dogs Aysa and Zoey.

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