Anthony "Mickey" Phelan, Jr.

Anthony McDade “Mickey” Phelan, Jr., 89 years old, died peacefully in his sleep on Friday, July 9, 2021. Mickey was the oldest child of Anthony McDade Phelan and Katherine Huey Phelan of Beaumont Texas. He attended St. Anne’s Catholic School, St. Anthony High School and went on to complete his BBA degree from Loyola University in New Orleans in 1954. Mickey served in the U.S. Army between 1954 and 1956 as a chaplain’s assistant and supply records specialist.   Following his service, he resided in New Orleans, LA working for Neilson-Moran Marine Corporation. He moved back to Beaumont and worked in real estate sales, land development, and building houses. He also spent some time in St. Louis Missouri where he worked in the Clayton Brokerage Company developing trade contracts for information purposes and worked on supply/demand projections with particular emphasis in the soybean complex. From 1968-1978, Mickey lived in Chicago Illinois where he maintained personal memberships in the Chicago Board of Trade, Chicago Board Options Exchange, and the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Wanting to be closer to his family and his children, he returned finally to Beaumont in September 1978, where he dealt with personal financial and real estate investments, ultimately working as a lease broker.  

Two of Mickey’s great loves were books and technology. He was a voracious reader, and he could easily discuss anything from St. Augustine to Tarzan. Mickey became extremely proficient with the use of computers to the extent that he was one of the first “computer consultants” at St. Anne School when his nephew Andrew Phelan volunteered him to come to the school to solve some technological problems. He continued to keep up with tech trends and tinker with computers for decade.  

Family was an integral part of Mickey’s life. He married his wife, Elizabeth Lathrop Phelan in December of 1986, and they lived in the same neighborhood as his parents and brother Patrick. Mickey’s life has been filled with family gatherings, large and small. When he was blessed with grandchildren, he enjoyed regular sleepovers and movie nights in Beaumont with the children of sons Mickey and Danny, and the son of Elizabeth’s daughter Erin coming in from New Orleans. Trips to see his daughter Airey, who lived in Illinois with her family were also an important part of his life. On those trips, several beloved dachshunds accompanied Mickey and Elizabeth, to the great delight of Airey’s children.   Mickey and Elizabeth took several trips to Yellowstone National Park with groups of four grandchildren at a time, making many happy memories along the way to be treasured over the years. Grandchildren, and all their comings and goings, and their achievements, including the frequent videos of school performances, gave him great joy.

Mickey has been a regular at the 7:00 AM Sunday Mass at St. Anne’s Catholic Church for many years. He never missed the pancake breakfasts hosted by the St. Anne’s Filipino community. He loved and supported St. Anne’s Catholic School and Monsignor Kelly High School where several of his grandchildren and his stepdaughter were educated. Mickey was honored in recent years as being the first child to enroll at St. Anne’s. His Catholicism was a dominant force in his life, having been lovingly handed down over the generations to him, and from him to his children and grandchildren. He often mentioned how blessed he was to believe. Mickey lived simply, never one to try and impress others, yet he practiced a pattern of quiet generosity to many.    

Mickey is survived by his devoted wife of thirty-four years, Elizabeth Lathrop Phelan; his children, Anthony McDade Phelan III, Daniel Christopher Phelan, of Beaumont; daughter, Mary Jane “Airey” Pizzini; and stepdaughter, Erin Lee Muggivan, both of New Orleans; his grandchildren include, John Thomas “Tommy” Pizzini, Jr., Katherine Elise “Katie” Pizzini, Michael William Pizzini, Anne McDade Pizzini Oddo, Hannah Cunningham Pizzini, Anthony McDade “Mickey” Phelan IV, John Paul Phelan, Kathryn Elizabeth Phelan, Daniel Christopher “Chris” Phelan, Patrick McDade Phelan, and Fionn Patrick Dominic Muggivan. Mickey is survived by his siblings, Katherine Phelan Carmody, Johannah Cunningham Phelan, Margaret Phelan Green, Mary Ellen Phelan Hunt, Colleen Phelan McMahon, Lillian Phelan Bean, Patrick Henry Phelan, Michael Arthur Phelan, Courtenay Phelan, and Harry Dennis Phelan.

He was preceded in death by his brothers, Daniel Christopher Phelan and Patrick Phelan, and his parents, Anthony McDade Phelan and Katherine Huey Phelan.

The family would like to express our deepest gratitude to Mickey’s sitters whose loving care provided him with joy and comfort each and every day: Cynthia Bernard, Neoma Robinson, Raul Capanzana, Angela Hamilton, and Diane Tyler.

Special thanks also to Altus Hospice nurse Chelsea Mills and Mickey’s longtime physician Jeremy Huff, D.O.

Memorial contributions for Mr. Phelan may be made to Birthright of Beaumont, 2626 Calder Avenue, Suite 201, Beaumont, Texas 77702.

A gathering of Mr. Phelan’s family and friends will be from 10:00 a.m. until 11:45 a.m., with refreshments in the parish hall, Thursday, July 15, 2021, at St. Anne Catholic Church, 2715 Calder Avenue, Beaumont. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 12:00 p.m., at St. Anne Catholic Church, Beaumont, under the direction of Broussard’s, 2000 McFaddin Avenue, Beaumont. The Mass will be live stream via St. Anne Catholic Church YouTube page at  https://youtu.be/oL9oGSl-Jbg His interment with military honors will follow at Magnolia Cemetery, Beaumont.

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