Mary Lou Phillips Zipperer Bowers, 90, passed away at Azalealand Nursing Home in

Savannah, GA under Hospice care on September 16, 2026, with her loving family by her

side.

Mary Lou was born July 22, 1936, in Vidalia, GA to the late Albert Stephen Phillips and Edna

Lee Kennedy Phillips Snooks. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her

siblings: Mattie Mae Phillips Couch, Jasper Leander (J.L.) Phillips, Evelyn Phillips, Betty

Jeane Phillips, Charles Phillips Sr., Henry Houston Phillips Sr., and James Albert (Jim)

Phillips.

She was preceded in death by her first husband, Dessie Lee Zipperer, Jr. and her second

husband, Dee Samuel Bowers, Jr.

She is survived by her children, Bonny Zipperer Hicks (Don) of Tybee Island, GA, and Mark

Zipperer (Luann Zorn-Zipperer) of Pooler, GA, one granddaughter, Jessica Leigh Zipperer

(Jimmy Donnelly) of Pooler, GA, one great-grandson, Roman James Donnelly of Pooler, GA,

sister in-law Judy Zipperer Griffin (Clyde) of Savannah, sister-in-law Barbara Zipperer

Coonce (Rick) of Singleton, TX, sister-in-law Betty Phillips of Cottontown, TN, sister-in-law

Carol Zipperer of Harlem, GA, multiple nieces and nephews, her best friend from 7

th grade, Rebecca Pullin, who was a true friend all of these many years, and her best friends with

Legacy Assisted Living – Shirley, Joyce, Marie, Jean, Kathy, and Ursula.

She moved to Savannah, GA in first grade. She graduated from Commercial High School

and later attended college at Armstrong State College and Savannah State College.

Mary Lou met her first husband, Dessie Zipperer, at a dance and they married in 1954.

Dessie was an electrician. When Dessie’s parents passed, she and Dessie took in his

younger sisters and helped to raise them.

Her first husband passed away in 1995. Mary Lou took good care of Dessie for 14 years

during his illness.

Mary Lou worked for 39 years with Union Camp (now called International Paper) and

Branigar, a subsidiary of Union Camp. She started out as a secretary and then was

promoted to various positions. When she retired, she was Branigar’s Vice President of

Transtates Properties and Project Manager for The Village Center on Skidaway Island.

Mary Lou’s responsibilities included the leasing and sales of Union Camp’s I-95

interchange properties and the management of The Village Center leasing and operations.

She generated a total sales volume of $9.1 million in I-95 and Highway 204 interchange

properties sales, including such business as the Harley-Davidson store, various hotels, and

gas stations.

In 1989, the Savannah Morning News interviewed her for secretary’s week celebration. She

previously was a secretary and now she had her own secretary!

Mary Lou met her second husband, Dee Bowers at The Landings. They married in 1998.

Dee owned multiple businesses including a tax office. Mary Lou helped Dee with his tax

business for multiple years. Dee passed away in 2014.

Mary Lou was very knowledgeable in finances. She enjoyed growing roses, gardening,

fishing, feeding wild birds, traveling, playing cards, bunco, dancing, and walking.

Mary Lou was famous for her homemade fruit cakes, sour cream pound cake, pot roast and

macaroni and cheese.

Mary Lou has traveled to many places, including Italy, Ireland, England, Scotland, France,

and Canada.

She loved to decorate for Christmas and had many miniature Christmas houses that she

displayed all year long. She was known for overbuying Christmas presents for her family.

She was very organized. Her closets were crazy organized! She had files of information

stored in her cabinets. She was a true Southern woman getting her hair done once a week,

wearing beautiful sparkly clothes and getting frequent manicures/pedicures!

She loved her personal computer and was very computer savvy. In the 1990s, she was SO

excited to receive her first PC for Christmas one year.

One year, when she attended a Forsyth Park greening of the fountain for St. Patrick’s Day

festivities, she was interviewed by the local TV news station.

She attended Christ Presbyterian Church in Pooler. She was the first resident at Legacy

Assisted Living and has appeared in multiple promotional videos.