PHILL ALLPHIN, FARMER, LOVED TO DANCE

By JEFF DURBIN, Missourian staff writer
April 11, 1999

Whether he was a barge hand on the Big Muddy in the 1920s or a hard-working Howard County farmer who enjoyed country dancing, Phill Franklin Allphin was strong of body and mind.

Mr. Allphin's grandson, David Allphin, said his grandfather was a big man who took a lot of pride in raising cattle, wheat, corn and soybeans. And, though tall and broad, Mr. Allphin could still dance gracefully.

Mr. Allphin would go to someone's home in the country and sit around and play and dance, David Allphin said. "Everyone said he was just as light as a feather."

Mr. Allphin, of New Franklin, died Thursday, April 8, 1999, in Fayette. He was 89.

Mr. Allphin was born May 28, 1909, in Enid, Okla., to Charles and Rhoda Dalbey Allphin. He grew up in Wathena, Kan., and worked as a barge hand on the Missouri and Mississippi rivers. On July 21, 1934, he married Lottie Fern Snell, and soon after they started farming in Howard County. Mr. Allphin was a member of Sulphur Springs Baptist Church in New Franklin.

"His favorite time was in the summer and fall when it was harvest time," David Allphin said. After completing his harvest, Mr. Allphin would combine wheat for neighbors.

"He was a strong-headed person," David Allphin said. "If he had a belief, there was no changing his mind. He did well for himself. He made a lot of good decisions."

When David was a boy, Mr. Allphin came by every day to take him to the farm, where they baled hay or built fences.

"He'd tell old stories and point out how people used to ride their horse or walk," David Allphin said. "He's helped me get a good start on my life."

Visitation for Mr. Allphin was Saturday at Memorial Funeral Home. Services, conducted by the Rev. Gary Humphrey, will be at 2 p.m. today at Memorial Funeral Home, 1217 Business Loop 70 W. Burial will be at Memorial Funeral Cemetery.

Mr. Allphin is survived by his wife, Lottie Fern Allphin of New Franklin; his son, David Leo Allphin of Armstrong; two brothers, Chester Allphin of Clarksdale and Henry Allphin of St. Joseph; two sisters, Esther Issacs of Clarksdale and Daisy Redmond of St. Joseph; and eight grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren and several nieces and nephews.

One son, Phillip Wayne Allphin, and three brothers died earlier.

Memorials may be sent to Sulphur Springs Baptist Church in New Franklin, or to the Fayette Senior Center, 209 N. Church St., Fayette, Mo., 65248.