Philip Washington Fairy Jr.

COLUMBIA - Dr. Philip (Phil) Washington Fairey, Jr., M.D., followed his dear wife Harriet in death on April 11, 2015. Phil was born to Isabel Strait Fairey and Philip Washington Fairey, Sr., on May 22, 1920. He was oldest of four sons and grew up in St. Matthews, S.C. with his brothers Frank, Joe and John. His father sold automobiles but Phil, on the advice of a great uncle and following in the footsteps of his grandfather, decided to attend medical school. After completing Clemson College he attended the Medical College of S.C. While at MUSC, in the summer of 1942, he met and later married Harriet Harrington Gage, who was to be the focus of his love and devotion for the following seventy plus years. They married in September of 1943 and their union would bring six children into the world. After MUSC, Phil served in the U.S. Army Medical Corp during WWII and then served for a year in Germany. Upon returning Phil began a general practice in Honea Path, S.C. until 1948 when the family moved to Detroit, Mi. for a residency in urology under Dr. John Ormond. The family moved to Columbia in 1951 and Phil joined Dr. William Barron in forming a urology practice that would become Columbia Urological Associates. He practiced urology for 35 years, serving as president of the Columbia Medical Society in 1975. Upon his retirement Phil volunteered as a worker/guide at the Congaree Swamp in addition to many other endeavors. Beginning in the 1950s, Phil along with Dr. George Brunson, Dr. George Bunch, Dr. Dana Mitchell and Mr. Jack Tobias spent a week of every February in the Bahamas fishing. They kept their exploits quiet, but we all knew it was a highlight of their year. Phil was a naturalist – grafting camellias to create new varieties, including his favorite, the Harriet Fairey. He imparted his love of plants to his children and to a grandson who works in a career implementing Phil’s horticultural expertise. Phil is survived by his brother, John Gaston Fairey of Hempstead, Texas and he and Harriet’s five children: Philip Washington Fairey, III, and his wife, Patricia (Pat) Ann Fairey, of Merritt Island, Florida, and their children, Philip (Phil) Washington Fairey, IV, and his partner Kenneth (Ken) Richard Ventell, of Columbia, Eleanor Walker Fairey Massey and her husband Robert (Rob) Massey, of Clemson, S.C., and Theresa (Terri) Michelle Amburgey of Merritt Island, Fl.; Dr. George Gage Fairey, M.D. and his wife Karen Lago Fairey, of Port Jefferson, N.Y. and their children, Gage Cass Woodle and his wife Jill Spanos Woodle of Brooklyn, N.Y., Alexandra Cass Fairey, of Lido Beach, N.Y. and Elena Lago Fairey, of Charlotte, N.C.; William Gaston Fairey and his wife Elaine Chapman Fairey, of Columbia, S.C. and their children, James Muthig Fairey and his wife Kristian Woodward Fairey, of Greenville, S.C., Elise Fairey Powell and her husband Brian Winton Powell, of Louisville, Ky., William Gaston Fairey, Jr. of Columbia, S.C., and Charles Chapman Fairey and his wife Caroline Clay Fairey, of Charlotte, N.C.; Dr. John Ormond Fairey, M.D. and his wife Marie Johnson Fairey, of Columbia, and their children, John Ormond Fairey, Jr. and his wife Manning Willard Fairey, of Atlanta, Georgia, Harriet Fairey Gilmer and her husband Robert Barrett Gilmer, of Greenwich, Conn., and William Johnson Fairey, and his wife Eleanor Stanley Fairey, of Charlotte, N.C.; and Isabel Fairey Sundlie and Elmer Dennis Sundlie, of Columbia, S.C. and their children Shane Megan Sundlie of Columbia, S.C. and Nathan Alec Sundlie of Columbia, S.C. At the time of his death Phil had nineteen great-grandchildren aged 21 years to 4 months. Phil lived his life learning – at the very end of his life he enjoyed attending history lectures and lively discussions. But through it all his existence centered on his love for Harriet. He spent his last two years sitting every day at her bedside holding her hand and talking to her while she lived in the Still Hopes Skilled Nursing Unit. Her death, three weeks before his, was while he was sitting at her side. An inquisitive soul who inspired all those who knew him. The family wishes to express their gratefulness to the staffs at Still Hopes and Solutions at Still Hopes who provided such kind and gentle care to Harriet and Phil. Contributions in Phil’s memory may be designated to the MUSC Foundation for the Fairey/Strait Medical Heritage Scholarship, 18 Bee Street, MSC 450, Charleston, S.C. 29425 or a charity of your choosing. The family will receive visitors in the Still Hopes Mansion at Still Hopes on Tuesday, April 14, from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. A private family ceremony will be held at West End Cemetery in St. Matthews, South Carolina at a later date. Dunbar Funeral Home, Devine Street Chapel, is assisting the family.