Philip E. Winter, lately of Admire, Kansas, died on Thursday, July 2, 2015. He was born on October 24, 1943, and was 71 when he died after a lengthy illness. He leaves behind two daughters, Susan Rodriguez of Emporia, Kansas, and Jean Harrison of Nashville, Tennessee; two lovely grandchildren with whom he was inordinately pleased, Ethan Rodriguez and Emmaline Rodriguez; and one dog of questionable pedigree named Sixth, who led a life of unparalleled privilege.
He was predeceased by his wife, Rose Ann Winter, who died on December 24, 1993, his beloved dog McDougal, and an assortment of cichlids who died untimely deaths in his care over the past few years.
Phil was at heart a farmer, and upon his retirement from life as a lawyer, he returned to the ancestral family farm where he was heard to complain frequently about things like the weather/the deer/the poor state of the county-maintained gravel road. This was an act as he loved the farm and the unpredictable weather, and chasing the deer out of his orchards. The road, though, he was serious about.
Phil was also a scholar who could talk knowledgeably about the Boxer Rebellion, astronomy, the cultivation of orchids, and Scottish history, among other obscure topics. He was particularly fond of Scotland and his Scottish ancestry and proudly sported the Harris clan plaid, though his children are grateful that they were never subjected to his bleached white legs in a kilt. The sandals and black socks with shorts while mowing the lawn were terrifying enough.
His mother, Irma Winter, died when he was five years old and his father, Howard Winter, was a World War II vet who served in the Pacific theater and who survived some particularly brutal treatment at the hands of the Japanese, from which he took a long time to recover. As a result, Phil was raised by his extended family and he particularly loved his Aunt Bessie and his Uncle Edgar, who were his surrogate parents. From his aunt and uncle, he learned his love of travel and the value of family.
Phil loved a good steak, single malt Scotch and decent English tea. He was dead serious about his tea and the sticklers at high tea would have been impressed with his dedication to the perfect cup of tea. To his complete dismay, his eldest child took a shine to sweetened iced tea, which he considered a mark of having been raised by wolves. He expected excellence from his children and he was not disappointed. Except for the sweetened ice tea thing.
Phil had a multitude of friends, some of whom were even Republicans, and many will mourn his passing. He loved his corner of the world, but he was not unaware of the larger world and he got his news from the BBC because he didn’t think the networks could get it right. He was a salt of the earth type who could not understand why the fools could not balance a budget, but he was also a progressive who believed in the value of quality education and social justice. A sharp mind combined with a core belief in the intrinsic value of all people made him a good lawyer and drove him to dedicate his life’s work to public service. The world could use a few more people like him. His friends and family will miss him and the world is a less bright place for his absence. We’ll see you on the other side Phil.
Funeral services will be held at First United Methodist Church, Emporia on Tuesday, July 7, 2015 at 10:00 A.M. The service will be conducted by Mr. Charles Bradbury of the church. Interment will be in Dunlap Cemetery, Dunlap, Kansas.
Visitation will be held at Roberts-Blue-Barnett Funeral Home on Monday, July 6, 2015, from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, memorials have been established with the Good Samaritan Fund of Midland Hospice Care, Topeka, or the Humane Society of the Flint Hills for the Emporia Animal Shelter, with contributions sent in care of the funeral home. To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Philip E. Winter, please visit our flower store.
He was predeceased by his wife, Rose Ann Winter, who died on December 24, 1993, his beloved dog McDougal, and an assortment of cichlids who died untimely deaths in his care over the past few years.
Phil was at heart a farmer, and upon his retirement from life as a lawyer, he returned to the ancestral family farm where he was heard to complain frequently about things like the weather/the deer/the poor state of the county-maintained gravel road. This was an act as he loved the farm and the unpredictable weather, and chasing the deer out of his orchards. The road, though, he was serious about.
Phil was also a scholar who could talk knowledgeably about the Boxer Rebellion, astronomy, the cultivation of orchids, and Scottish history, among other obscure topics. He was particularly fond of Scotland and his Scottish ancestry and proudly sported the Harris clan plaid, though his children are grateful that they were never subjected to his bleached white legs in a kilt. The sandals and black socks with shorts while mowing the lawn were terrifying enough.
His mother, Irma Winter, died when he was five years old and his father, Howard Winter, was a World War II vet who served in the Pacific theater and who survived some particularly brutal treatment at the hands of the Japanese, from which he took a long time to recover. As a result, Phil was raised by his extended family and he particularly loved his Aunt Bessie and his Uncle Edgar, who were his surrogate parents. From his aunt and uncle, he learned his love of travel and the value of family.
Phil loved a good steak, single malt Scotch and decent English tea. He was dead serious about his tea and the sticklers at high tea would have been impressed with his dedication to the perfect cup of tea. To his complete dismay, his eldest child took a shine to sweetened iced tea, which he considered a mark of having been raised by wolves. He expected excellence from his children and he was not disappointed. Except for the sweetened ice tea thing.
Phil had a multitude of friends, some of whom were even Republicans, and many will mourn his passing. He loved his corner of the world, but he was not unaware of the larger world and he got his news from the BBC because he didn’t think the networks could get it right. He was a salt of the earth type who could not understand why the fools could not balance a budget, but he was also a progressive who believed in the value of quality education and social justice. A sharp mind combined with a core belief in the intrinsic value of all people made him a good lawyer and drove him to dedicate his life’s work to public service. The world could use a few more people like him. His friends and family will miss him and the world is a less bright place for his absence. We’ll see you on the other side Phil.
Funeral services will be held at First United Methodist Church, Emporia on Tuesday, July 7, 2015 at 10:00 A.M. The service will be conducted by Mr. Charles Bradbury of the church. Interment will be in Dunlap Cemetery, Dunlap, Kansas.
Visitation will be held at Roberts-Blue-Barnett Funeral Home on Monday, July 6, 2015, from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, memorials have been established with the Good Samaritan Fund of Midland Hospice Care, Topeka, or the Humane Society of the Flint Hills for the Emporia Animal Shelter, with contributions sent in care of the funeral home. To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Philip E. Winter, please visit our flower store.
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