Philip Alan Thorp

Philip A. Thorp, of Williamsburg, Virginia passed away peacefully on December 8, 2021, at the home of his daughter Lucy and son-in-law Tony, where he had recently moved. Philip was born in Connecticut to the late John and Alice Thorp. He graduated from Hamden High School and received both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree from the College of William & Mary. In 1955, Philip married the love of his life, Barbara (Bobbye) Brown, a fellow William & Mary graduate and Williamsburg resident. Although he had intended to follow in the footsteps of his parents in the teaching profession, a part-time college job at the Silversmith Shop in Colonial Williamsburg led to his life changing decision to accept an apprenticeship under Master Silversmith William (Bill) deMatteo. As a young couple starting a family, Bobbye and Phil lived in several homes in the historic area before moving to Kingspoint in 1974 where they raised their two daughters and a son. In 2017, they moved to the Williamsburg Landing. During his career at Colonial Williamsburg, Phil achieved the rank of Master Silversmith. In 1979, he left CW to join Bill deMatteo and his son Chip deMatteo as a founder and partner in Hand & Hammer Silversmiths. Phil continued working at H&H until his retirement in 1998. An accomplished Silversmith, Phil worked with Bill deMatteo on pieces commissioned for heads of state, royalty, the White House, and the Master’s golf tournament. He was also an accomplished fine carpenter and landscaper. He crafted beautiful furniture, built or improved much of his Kingspoint home, and frequently worked on his landscaping improvement to-do list. Phil served in a variety of Kingspoint Home Association positions over the years including President. In retirement, Phil took up a new hobby, amateur magician. Bobbye and Phil were married for 64 years before her passing in 2019. They were best friends who enjoyed each other’s company, reading, and just being together. They were frequent travelers after Phil’s retirement, especially enjoying trips with Bobbye’s sister Mary-Lewis Chapman and her husband Andrew. They were loving parents, grandparents, and for Phil, a first-time great-grandparent earlier this year. Philip is survived by his sister-in-law Mary-Lewis Chapman and brother-in-law Andrew Chapman; his children, Mary-Lewis Thorp, Lucy Thorp Perkins (Tony Perkins), and Mitchell Thorp (Patty Sullivan); grandchildren, Sam Wallace III (Heidi), Tyler Wallace (Mary), Elizabeth Wallace, Samantha Perkins, Cole Perkins, and Matthew Thorp; as well as his great-granddaughter, Anna Wallace. A Celebration of Life gathering will be held in the coming months. In lieu of sending flowers, the family requests that people make donations in support of breast cancer research (www.bcrf.org) or the Williamsburg Heritage Humane Society (www.heritagehumane.org). Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.NelsenWilliamsburg.com for the Thorp family.