REGIONAL— Mark Phillips, who retired in December after serving eight years as commissioner of the Department of Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation, died at home on Wednesday, Aug. 23, after a six-year-long battle with cancer.
Phillips, who was 73, was born in Eveleth and remained fiercely loyal to the Iron Range throughout his career. He worked in the private sector, both for Minnesota Power and Kraus-Anderson, but made his biggest mark in the public sector, working initially as commissioner of the Department of Employment and Economic Development and later as IRRR commissioner.
While every IRRR commissioner puts their stamp on the state agency, Phillips, whose eight-years at the agency’s helm was tied for the longest tenure of any commissioner in the IRRR’s 80-year history, left a bigger impact than most.
In an interview with the Timberjay last December, Phillips talked about what he called the “four-prong mantra” that became his guiding philosophy at the IRRR. While the agency has long focused on job creation, Phillips pushed the agency to focus on quality over quantity.
“We were already beginning to face the workforce shortages at that time,” he said late last year. “If you just create jobs, well, we’re going to create more workforce problems for the existing businesses. But if people are leaving for better paying jobs, that’s a good thing.”
Phillips also worked to turn the agency away from what he often described as “chasing smokestacks,” toward a greater emphasis on building communities on the Range that offered a high quality of life. Phillips said such an approach not only makes life better for existing residents but makes area communities more attractive for new residents as well.
While his ideas sometimes challenged the conventional wisdom that had long guided the IRRR, he was able to make the case. Former state Rep. Rob Ecklund, who served for years on the IRRR board, credited Phillip’s “outstanding people skills” for much of his success. “You couldn’t have found a more even-keeled guy, or somebody who definitely cared for the people around him and the job he did,” said Ecklund. “Once you talked to Mark, you walked away knowing you had a friend.”
That wasn’t just a public face with Phillips, who was exactly the same way in private, according to Patty Phillips, Mark’s wife of 49 years. “He was wonderful as a husband. As good as it gets,” she said. “He was a good father, a grandfather, and a pet lover. He was always very thoughtful and got his energy from being around people.”
Phillips was first diagnosed with bladder cancer in 2017, but never wavered from his belief he’d be able to beat it, until the very end. “He was always optimistic about everything,” recalls Patty. “He always thought the Vikings were going to win.”
And for a time, it seemed he had come out on top as he was found to be clear of cancer cells for a while, until about three years into his fight. That’s when he learned that the cancer had reoccurred and spread outside his bladder. He continued with treatments for another two years, but received more bad news last November when his oncologist said the cancer had spread to his bones. Throughout it all, Patty said he remained hopeful and positive and continued to work. “He loved the people he worked with,” she recalls.
He began another round of intensive chemotherapy and radiation earlier this year but when subsequent tests showed little progress, the doctors said there was little more they could do.
He entered hospice at the end of July.
Patty described the hospice personnel as “wonderful” and said they helped make his final weeks a peaceful time, without pain. While he had the offer to spend his final days at a friend’s home in Hawaii, Patty said he gratefully declined, wanting to spend his final days around family and friends at the home they shared on Lake Vermilion. A steady stream of visitors filled his short time in hospice.
Looking back, Patty said she knows Mark had no regrets. “His legacy is exactly what he wanted it to be,” she said, adding that she’ll have much more to say at his celebration of life, now set for Saturday, Sept. 23, at 1 p.m., at the Virginia Elks Lodge.