Philip L. Denniston ’41, P’66, GP’96

Philip LeFevre Denniston (1922 – 2013)

The world lost a special man when Philip Denniston was reunited with Jesus on January 18, 2013. He was a prince of a man and was deeply loved by all who knew him. Phil cherished his wife, Georgiana; was proud of his three sons, Philip, Jr. (WA ’66), Peter and Scott; and was crazy about his ten grandchildren, Daphne, Philip III (WNS ’96), Thomas, Carrie, Sarah, Erin, Laura, Gavin, Kate and Rachel.

Completing his growing family were his three daughters-in-law, Patricia, Susan and Debra and his grandchildren’s spouses, Ashley, Susan, David, Charlie, Greg and Elizabeth; along with seven great-grandchildren, Mia, Ryder, Little Tom, Carson, Brooke, Dylan and Wyatt. Phil was a very active community volunteer having served on the school board for St. Paul’s Episcopal Church and on the board of the Ventura Community Memorial Hospital.

He was also President and Treasurer of the Ventura Dance Club and he was a long standing member of both the Ventura Rotary Club and the Ventura Chamber of Commerce. Phil really enjoyed traveling with his wife, Gigi who also shared his love for ballroom dancing. Phil was born on June 6, 1922, in New Paltz, N.Y.

To honor his family being one of the seven founding families of this hamlet on the Hudson River, Phil was a lifetime member of the Huguenot Patriotic, Historical and Monumental Society of New Paltz. Phil attended the Williston Academy in East Hampton, Mass., and pursued his love of architecture and economics at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville.

He was a member of both the Phi Delta Theta social fraternity and the Alpha Kappa Psi professional fraternity. When duty called, Phil joined the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps ultimately serving as a Lieutenant of the United States Naval Reserves.

He served in active duty during World War II from 1943 to 1946 where he commanded a United States Navy submarine chaser. After his honorable discharge from the Navy, Phil completed graduate studies at Harvard University. Phil also had a real love for retail merchandising so, in 1946, he joined the management training program of Macy’s flagship department store in New York City.

This led him to Carson Pirie Scott in Chicago and ultimately to Carter Hawley Hale Stores in California. Phil retired, after almost 40 years in the retail industry, as the store manager of the Broadway Department Store at the San Buenaventura Center.

To honor him and his contributions to our community, we will be celebrating his life at a memorial service at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church at 3290 Loma Vista Road in Ventura at 2 p.m. on Saturday, January 26, 2013.

There will be a reception at the church immediately following the service. In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests that you make a donation to your favorite charity in memory of Phil Denniston. Arrangements are under the direction of the Ted Mayr Funeral Home and Crematory, 3150 Loma Vista Rd., Ventura. Condolences may be left at TedMayrFuneralHome.com.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.