Philip Anthony Sylvester Jr.

Philip Sylvester, 63, died on December 4, 2024 in Arlington Heights, Illinois. He is survived by his loving wife, Christie (nee Mongon), adorable dog, Ellie, and beloved sisters Laura (Mike) Egner, Ann (Mike) Bayless, Katie (Tom) McMillan, and Jean (Brian) McMillan. Phil was also a dear brother-in-law to Mimi Ladenburger and Kathy (Rick) Murdoch. Additionally, he was a cherished uncle to fifty-three nieces and nephews, along with numerous cousins. A constant source of amusement and knowledge, he will be dearly missed by his family and friends.

Phil graduated from Hersey High School (1979) and was inspired by Len Wilson, his Graphic Arts teacher for four years, which led him onto a long career in the print industry. He worked as the Solutions Development Manager, Software Products for Fujifilm Graphic Systems, USA for twenty-six years. While at Fujifilm, Phil created five patents for the print manufacturing process. Phil was an inspirational innovator and worked with countless people around the globe including Japan, Germany, and India.

In his personal life, Phil’s passions included technology, cooking, and research. It didn’t matter if he was purchasing a car or perfecting a recipe, Phil spent an innumerable amount of time researching every bit of information on the Internet in order to fully understand the best approach to the task at hand. Phil’s food was legendary and spoiled his wife and family with delicious meals including a wide variety of shrimp dishes, homemade pizza, delicious bbq, pasta, and a variety of grilled meats.

Although Phil and Christie did not have children in their 38 years together, throughout their marriage they’ve owned seven Samoyeds, including Snowy, Nikki, Lexi, Flicka, Libby, Jessie, and Ellie, who brought great joy to them. As “Uncle Phil,” he loved to tease his siblings, as well as his nieces, nephews, and cousins, but they knew he did it with love and care. Holidays with the Sylvester family won’t be the same without Phil to keep everyone laughing.

A Celebration of Life and luncheon will take place at the Cotillion Banquets in Palatine on Saturday, December 21, starting at twelve noon. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the National Park Foundation.