Phil was born on April 17, 1931, in Granite Quarry, NC, to John Calvin and Laura Eleanor Brown Holshouser. He was one of seven children and five half-brothers and sisters.
Phil is survived by his wife, Mary Frances Beaver Holshouser, the love of his life. They were married on September 9, 1951 and were married 68 years. He is also survived by son Steve Holshouser of Concord, daughter Sherri Wolfe (and Flynn Wolfe) of Charlotte, and daughter Shelly Hefner (and Daniel Hefner) of Concord. He is survived by grandchildren Candace (and Jeff) Woodward, Cynthia Holshouser, Stephanie Turner, Samantha (and Jordan) Muqtasid, Jeffrey Wolfe, Houston (and Maddy) Hefner, Cayce (and Tyler) Atkinson, and Darynne (and Collin) Rhinehardt. He is survived by great grandchildren James, Ben, Hope, Samantha, Annabelle, Henry, Colton, Sawyer, Shay and soon-to-arrive Jason.
Phil is survived by brother John David (and June) Holshouser, sister Ruth Beaver, and brother Richard (and Rachel) Holshouser. He is preceded in death by sisters Alice Linker and Grace Beaver, and brother Carl Holshouser. He is survived by numerous nieces, nephews, great nieces and great nephews. Papa Phil was an amazing dad and grand dad. He loved his family with his whole being.
Phil grew up in Granite Quarry, NC. He was both Junior and Senior Class president of Granite Quarry High School. Phil was captain of both the basketball and baseball teams. He attended N.C. State University and studied Agriculture Engineering. Phil began working as a mechanic helper at Carolina Tractor Equipment Company in Salisbury in 1950. He later became a field mechanic and transferred to Charlotte as Branch Service Manager in 1956. Phil retired from CAT with 42 years of dedicated service.
Phil was a lifelong member of Derita Presbyterian Church and served on both the Diaconate and Elder boards. He led many youth church mission trips. He was instrumental in the building construction of Derita Presbyterian Church where he enthusiastically went daily to work on and check on its progress until completion. He truly loved his church.
Phil was a third degree Mason of the Salisbury Chapter. When Phil and Frances moved to Charlotte in 1956 for work, he became involved in the community. He coached Derita Pop Warner football and helped plan and construct Allen Hills Community Pool for the neighborhood. Phil thrived on social interaction and seemed to never meet a stranger. He loved a good joke and his laugh was infectious.
A special thank you to Martha Whitehead for her compassionate caregiving love to our family. Thank you to Hospice and Palliative Care of Charlotte for their support.
Although we will miss our husband, our dad, our “Papa”, our brother, and our friend, we know by faith that we will spend eternity with him! If heaven has a beach swing, you can bet Phil will be enjoying that summer breeze. Thank you for making those memories for us, Papa! We love you!
Visitation will be held on Wednesday, July 31, 2019, from 10:00 - 10:45 AM at Derita Presbyterian Church, 2230 Sugar Creek Road West, Charlotte, in the sanctuary. The Funeral will be held at 11:00 AM in the sanctuary. The Columbarium Service for the family will be held following the Funeral in the church courtyard. Pastor Eulando Henton will be officiating.
Honorary Pallbearers: Daniel Hefner, Houston Hefner, Flynn Wolfe, Tyler Atkinson, Collin Rhinehardt, Jordan Muqtasid, Jeff Woodward.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Derita Presbyterian Church.
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