Philip Phil Mark Patterson

Phil passed away at home on Nov. 26. He was preceded in death by his parents, Philip and Nellie. Survived by wife Judy, sister Sherri (Paul), 3 step children Keli, Brenda (Gary) & Kevin (Leslie) and 6 grandchildren, Nieces Kammie (Josh) & Cindy (Justin), nephew Brian (Patty). Visitation 5-7 pm. Thursday. Memorial service 10:00 am. friday all at Olinger Chapel Hill.

One thing was very clear towards the end of Phil's life, and that is the number of relationships and connections he had with so many people, formed through sharing the many passions of his life. There were many visitors, cards, phone calls, notes on web sites, and just lots of people praying for Phil and keeping him in their thoughts, including all of us here. Some of the thoughts here are taken from what all of these people have already said or written about Phil.

Phil had a remarkable knack for keeping in touch with people. It seemed he had a friend in every industry, a colleague to visit no matter where he was, a close friend from every neighborhood he lived in. During the normal hum of life, he would send a message and let someone know he was thinking about them, without waiting for holidays or special occasions. So it is fitting that we should all gather to remember Phil and let him know we're thinking about him, even if it took this sad occasion to get us all together.

In his early childhood, Phil lived with his father Phil, mother Nell and sister Sherri in Fort Collins. His sister Sherri describes this as a time of fun and laughter, climbing cherry trees, jumping off of the chicken coop roof, hiding out in the tent of lilac bushes, making homemade ice cream with their father, and watching Roy Rogers on TV. Later, the family moved to the Capitol Hill area of Denver where Phil and Sherri looked after each other, fought floods in their home, and Phil taught Sherri how to drive. The city gave Phil new places to explore, people to meet, and always new challenges to take on.

Phil grew up to become an engineer, not just professionally, but in every sense of the word. Being an engineer was a lifestyle for Phil and not just a career. Wherever he went, when he began talking and asking questions, he would often be asked almost immediately, “You're an engineer, aren’t you?” His simple questions like “have you thought about…”, or “have you tried…”, were always trying to show us problems in a whole new light. When faced with a problem, more than a few of us have probably found ourselves wondering “What would Phil ask?”

In his professional life as an engineer, Phil had many accomplishments. He had several patents with the Gates Rubber Company, where, as he said, he was paid by Gates for most of his career to play at the things he loved. He worked on the belt drives for Harley Davidson Motorcycles, the tracks for snowmobiles, blower belts for race cars, and much more. After retiring from Gates with 36 years under his belt, he became a consultant to Audi. There he reveled in driving the latest technology in Audi vehicles and in contributing his thoughts and critical evaluations to each vehicle he drove. He also contributed his experience and knowledge in high tech materials engineering on various projects

Phil enjoyed sharing stories of his work and the clever ways he and his fellow engineers solved each problem, especially if it involved out-thinking some new-fangled technology with good old-fashioned know-how and hard work. No information was too trivial to be taken for granted without thorough analysis. Everything was fair game for analysis, everything could be improved. If something wasn't performing to its peak specifications, that was a problem, whether it was a car or a dishwasher. If the quality from the TV sound system could be improved by moving the speakers and chairs, then of course you should move the speakers and chairs. Phil was adamant about taking good care of tools and equipment, because only then would they be able to perform their best, the way they were engineered to perform.

So now, with the end of Phil's engineering career here on earth, we must believe that Phil’s new engineering challenge is consulting with the great engineer in the sky, as Phil often called him. [Hopefully there is no way to improve Heaven, otherwise Phil will spend his time looking for it.]

Not surprisingly, Phil valued knowledge and insight in all areas of life, not just engineering, and he valued expertise in others. His appreciation for knowledge--and for books--is enshrined in the walls of books on engineering and technical arts which he has collected over his life. He didn't admire just engineers and inventors like Tesla and Marconi, he also admired the architect Frank Lloyd Wright and photographer John Fielder. He appreciated fine craftsmanship in many forms, from woodworking to tool-making.

Phil's appreciation for some of the finer things in life also includes good wine, or the best hats--including cowboy hats--or buying the best chocolate for Judy, but it also means Audi and Harley and all the coolest tools. Having the right tool for a job was like matching the perfect wine with a meal: it was an art and skill and not to be taken lightly. He fixed breakfast for his family with only the right bacon and prepared perfectly. He paid attention to things like where to find the best peaches and cherries, or the genuine and tasty varieties of apples and peanuts that you can get from Virginia, and real maple syrup comes from New Hampshire. He liked to grill, especially with the right grill and the best meats, and he shared his skill and enjoyment with friends and family at numerous cookouts.

Phil loved to race just about anything with a motor: cars, motorcycles, even snowmobiles. He would talk about racing and cars and mechanics and the engineering of it all with anyone, no matter what their level of expertise. He raced in time, speed, and distance rallies on the front range with the Denver Sports Car Club and enjoyed telling stories of giving kids a thrill by giving them rides in his car. Not just the rally car, but later all the Audi test cars. And not just kids, but friends, family, neighbors, and even the occasional intrigued police officer.

Speaking of racing, it is worth noting that Phil and Judy first met at a go-kart race, where Judy's daughter Brenda was racing. That was in 1991. They hit it off, and of course Phil was welcomed by Judy's family, especially all the racers. Phil and Judy searched and searched and finally found a house to share together, one with a large enough garage and that Phil knew was built well. Together they bridged many families, and Phil became a grandpa. To his grandkids in Tucson, he became known as “snow grandpa”.

For the younger people in his life, whether it was neighborhood kids or grandchildren or the young at heart, Phil loved to share his passions for racing and engineering with them also. Phil was the guy on the block to take your bike or wagon to when it needed repairs. Phil would teach you about cars, racing, model trains, airplanes, steam engines, anything mechanical, and along the way try to teach about life, hard work, and appreciation for the ways things worked and how to take care of them. Even birthday gifts often had higher-minded motives. His nephew Brian remembers a science kit of the month and a paper airplane book, and his grandsons received things like pocket knives, mechanical gadgets, and a soldering iron. Each gift from Phil came with an offer to help get the most out of it, and to learn the right lessons from it.

His attention to giving also showed in his marriage. He left love notes and cookies for Judy in her luggage, and he paid attention to what Judy liked. If Judy commented about anything she liked, it was likely to show up again, even months later, as a Christmas or birthday gift. In fact Phil put lots of research and thought into all of his gifts. It didn't matter who he had to call or what small shop he had to visit.

Besides being an engineer, Phil was also an inventor, a philosopher, a teacher, a problem solver and a complex thinker and a mentor to many. He mentored neighbors, business colleagues, friends and family in whatever challenge they might be facing. He was generous with his counsel, not just on technical issues but also about life in general, and many of us have heard him start his advice with a phrase like “here's some information for your consideration.”

Phil is described by friends as compassionate, kind, thoughtful, considerate, sensitive, smart, accomplished, humble, giving, and lovable. His brother-in-law, Paul, considered him the “brother he never had.” And, as a friend of Phil's said, “He is the model man.”

We could not hope to summarize a life like Phil's or come up with one message that Phil would want to leave with all of us. Phil has already left each of us with a specific message meant just for us, a message carefully and thoughtfully considered, and delivered with the sincerest of good intentions. Let each of us take that message to heart, carry it with us, and remember always the man that we know as Phil Patterson.