Charles Earl Philips , August 14, 1926 — December 17, 2018

Charles’ Obituary Charles Earl Philips (“Charlie”) died Monday, December 17, 2018 in Palo Alto, California. Born August 14, 1926 in Independence, Missouri, to Earl L. Philips and Frances G. (Lamb) Philips, he lived a full life up until his very last day. In 1944, at 18, Charlie enlisted in the U.S. Army and served in Italy for two years.

In later years he greatly appreciated the gratitude strangers showed him when, seeing him wearing his WWII Veteran hat, they thanked him for his service. After the war, Charlie attended the University of Arizona with support from the G.I. Bill and received a BS in civil engineering. To put himself through college, he worked part time driving the school bus at the Arizona School for the Deaf and Blind in Tucson.

There he met Katherine (“Kay”) Bulkley, a teacher at the school. They married in 1954 and lived in the Bay Area. Charlie first worked as a civil engineer for Southern Pacific Railroad, then as a structural engineer at Bechtel, Inc. and George Nolte Engineering in Palo Alto before opening his own structural engineering business.

In their early years of marriage, Charlie and Kay enjoyed tennis and skiing together. In the 1960s, they purchased a small cabin in Kingvale, a summer community near Donner Summit. Over time, he designed a new cabin with a deck big enough to hold the whole Kingvale community for Friday night “wine and cheese”.

Here, as well as in the horseshoe pit, he was the life of the party, making people feel welcome and entertained. Well into his 80’s, Charlie continued to ski at Northstar and volunteered as a host at Royal Gorge Cross Country Ski Resort. More recently, his favorite mountain was Sugar Bowl where he especially enjoyed skiing with his daughter and two grandsons or sitting in the bar chatting up staff and guests.

With his 2018 Season Pass in hand, Charlie skied there the week before he died. Charlie is survived by his wife of 64 years, Kay Philips; his daughters and sons-in-laws, Carol and Bruce Cumming (of Bethesda, Maryland) and Susie and Chuck Dorn (of Brunswick, Maine); his grandsons on whom he doted, Sandy Cumming (of Truckee, California) and Niles Dorn (of Claremont, California); his brothers, Nick Philips and his wife, Mickey (of Hemet, California), and Herb Philips (of Sun City, Arizona); and countless extended family, friends and neighbors. Private services have been held for the immediate family.

A full celebration of life will take place next summer in Kingvale.

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