Known as "Phil", his was a life of which to be proud.  A retired USN Chief Warrant officer, engineer and educator, Phil's life was consumed by his love of his country and family.

His intelligence and brilliance were documented by MENSA and practically applied to his work with NASA and TSA. But amongst his proudest achievements was his work with the students of Phoebus High School and his implementation of the Robotics Program.  In addition to winning competitions, in 1995 Phil and his students gained recognition for their work developing an "eye operated" computer system for a Navy veteran with ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease), allowing him to "speak" again.

After his retirement from teaching, the horror of Sept. 11 inspired Phil to join the TSA where his skills were utilized for behavioral detection.

Phil is survived by the love of his life, Barbara; his sister Marjorie Lidon; son Richard; step daughters Tammy Moneymaker, Lisa Orego, and Denise Gibbs; brothers-in-law Scott Sechman, Richard Sechman, and George Heitz, 21 grandchildren and great-grandchildren and a plethora of nieces and nephews. He will truly be missed by all.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11:00 AM Monday, August 28, 2017 at St. Joseph Catholic Church by Rev. Donald J. Cavey. Interment with full military honors will be at 3:00 PM Monday at the Albert G. Horton, Jr. State Veterans' Cemetery in Suffolk. The family will receive friends from 5-6 PM Sunday at R. Hayden Smith Funeral Home. .