Anita "Nita" Jo Brannon Phillips passed away on March 3, 2022 at her home in Pfafftown, NC, following complications related to cancer.  Born December 14, 1962, in Winston-Salem, NC, to the late Joseph Brannon and Vonetta Wheeler Brannon, Nita was the middle child of three siblings, a birth order that she relished, and often cited as the reason for her independence and touch of rebellion.  A woman of admirable integrity, her appreciation for empathy, honesty, originality, and courage were shaped largely by her parents, teachers, siblings, and playground friends.  These were traits that Nita admired deeply and shaped her interactions with others and her life's journey.  To know her, is to have known a friend for life, someone to celebrate with when times were good, but more importantly, someone who had your back, went to bat for you, and lifted you up when times were challenging.  For Nita, it was always about humanity and pioneering, building bridges where none existed, finding commonality among the seemingly disparate, showing up where she wasn't expected, and being curious and audacious enough to try something new.

Nita attended primary and high schools in Forsyth County:  St. Benedict the Moor Elementary School, Atkins High School, and North Forsyth Senior High School.  At the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, she studied math and science, majoring in Chemistry, a challenging discipline, one underrepresented by African-American women during her time.  She practiced and developed her science expertise at Reynolds American (nee R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company), where her career spanned nearly 35 years in various roles of research and marketing.  Ultimately, Nita retired as the Head of Market Research & Consumer Insights for RAI's Innovation Company.

Nita loved her community and made it a point to support it by seeking out local experiences, products, and shops.  She was always among the first to visit any new opening in the city or surrounding area.  She was an ardent contributor of time and/or financial resources to many community organizations that aligned with her beliefs and values, such as WFDD, the International Civil Rights Museum, Senior Services, UNC-G Minerva Society, various United Way agencies, the Junior League, Habitat for Humanities, Senior Services, the Children's Home, NCSA, the Old Salem Museum, 2 ^nd Harvest Food Bank, the Children's Museum, and Piedmont Craftsmen.  Wherever and whenever she could help spread goodness, she was willing to get involved.

Nita was an unheralded creative, with a knack for composition and design, that was never developed formally, but expressed freely in home, family, and personal projects and events. She devoted her brief time in her "2 ^nd Act" to enriching family experiences, genealogy, crafting, DIY, and travel.  She was an ambitious world explorer, seeking out those less traveled spaces to expand her knowledge, sharing her discoveries with others to inspire new thinking and strengthen relationships.  Her most talked about journey was an African safari, where she was touched deeply and reminded of the importance of ancestry, legacy, and family.  In her last days, it was the experience she recounted the most, imagining how enriching the experience would be for the entire family.

Nita was predeceased by her father, Joseph Brannon; sister, Rhonda B. Scales; grandmother, Estelle W. Wheeler; and a beloved uncle, Robert E. Wheeler "Sonny".  Surviving to cherish her memories and carry forward her legacy for pioneering, discovery, and benevolence are her devoted husband of 37 wonderful years, Percy Phillips; loving daughters Jade Phillips Joyner and Shelby M. Phillips; dedicated son-in-law, Daniel Joyner; her first granddaughter, Ellis Joyner; mother, Vonetta W. Brannon; mother-in-law, Fannie P. Peeple; brother, Joseph Brannon; nieces, Asia Bradley, Dataja Brannon, and Aiko Stovall; nephew, Cory R. Scales; bonus sisters, Watasha Conrad and Andrea Bills; and a host of extended family and friends.

The family extends their gratitude to medical practitioners at Novant Health, Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, and Trellis Supportive Care.

A visitation will be held from 11:00am until 12:00noon Wednesday, March 9, 2022 at Russell Funeral Home Chapel, Winston-Salem, NC. The visitation is open to the public. A private, graveside service for family will immediately follow the visitation.