Phillip Bruce Reid

Phillip Bruce Reid, a remarkably intelligent, hardworking man, was born in Lafayette, Tennessee January 2, 1937 to the late El Gordon & Virginia Frances Reid. He spent his early years on a family farm where he helped his father in the fields and took his first jobs as a rack and ball boy at a local billiard hall and newspaper delivery boy. It was this meager, humble upbringing that left him with a thirst for a more bountiful life for himself and his family.

 After graduating Gallatin High School in 1955, Phillip bought a one-way train ticket to Texas to pursue an engineering degree. He was a diligent student and worked hard supporting himself through college, spending summers as a roughneck in the oil fields of the Gulf Coast and serving in the Air National Guard. He graduated Texas Tech in 1959 before returning to Tennessee.

 Following his time in Texas, Phillip moved to Nashville where he met his first wife, Patrica M. Reid, with whom he had two sons, Britt and Bruce. Phillip took a job at a lumber yard to support his young family while he attended night school at Nashville School of Law. After law school, Phillip was offered a ownership share by his employer in Gallatin Coal & Lumber Co., which he accepted. This was the beginning of lifetime of entrepreneurship for Phillip, who later opened Reid Lumber Company in Gallatin and Portland Builders Supply in Portland.

 Phillip was a longtime member of Gallatin Country Club, where he served as President and played countless rounds of golf and many hands of Bridge. He enjoyed taking his sons out on the links, and shared with them his love of the outdoors, teaching them to hunt and fish from an early age.

 In the late 1970’s, Phillip moved to Panama City, Florida where he acquired new businesses, pursued his hobby as a competitive sport fisherman, and started a new family with his second wife, Linda M. Reid, having two more children, Jason and Amy. 

 “Panama Phil” purchased Sun Harbor Marina on St. Andrews Bay as his first Florida business, before later establishing Portland Forest Products, Big Lot Storage, and Mergenthal’s Bistro during his time in Florida. He regularly participated in fishing tournaments and held the Guinness World Record for catching the world's largest black grouper for nearly a decade. Additionally, Phillip joined Panama Country Club and acquired a pine tree farm and hunting ground in Mariana, FL, continuing his life long passions of hunting, finishing, and golfing.

 In 2004, Phillip returned to Tennessee, buying a cattle ranch in Portland. He partnered with his son Bruce to open BP Farms, where he and his sons, Britt and Bruce, worked together in family business. Phillip acquired another tree farm and hunting ground in Kentucky, where he spent his golden years hosting family and lifelong friends from Florida and Tennessee on regular hunting trips. 

 Phillip moved a final time to wooded cabin home on the outskirts of Gallatin, fulfilling his wish to spend his last days in the tranquil hills of Tennessee. He met a memorable, moving end, being blessed with opportunity to share last moments and create final memories with his friends and family, who rallied with a remarkable outpouring of love, compassion, and support. Phillip spent his final days surrounded by loved ones, sharing his heart and well-wishes with those most dear to him. He passed at home, peaceful and pain-free, in his sleep surrounded by family, holding the hand of his first-born son, Britt, as he took last breath and final bow. 

 Phillip will be most remembered, not for his many accomplishments and business acumen, but for his incredible ability grow lasting relationships and bring people together…for the unwavering love and support he bestowed upon his large family. He is survived by his four children Britt, Bruce, Jason, and Amy Reid, the light of his life and his greatest joy, as well as his sister and her husband, Mack and Nancy Dove and their son, Reid Dove. Phillip’s legacy will live on in his grandchildren, Brandon, Maryann, and Brittney Reid and his great grandchildren, Riley, Adelyn, Colton, Gabriel, Nash, and Dolan Reid. He leaves behind a grateful, united family who will never forget him and will honor him always.