Brief Life Sketch
Growing up, Phil lived in Rexburg, Victor, Pocatello, and American Falls, Idaho, as well as Independence, Oregon. Following his high school graduation, his family moved to the Seattle area.
As the oldest child, he was disappointed that every time a child was added to the family, it was a girl, but as an adult, he was close to each of his sisters.
One summer, he and his cousin John (Wilcken) tried to hide underwater in irrigation ditches to keep from getting sunburned. They learned the hard way that water does not make a good sunscreen and got badly blistered instead.
Looking back, Phil noted that growing up together with his cousin John established a lifelong friendship that became an important part of his life.
Phil took piano lessons until the ninth grade and often played and sang the song “Hey Jude." Phil also played the trombone and was involved in the high school journalism and drama departments.
He participated in multiple sports in high school, including football, basketball, and golf.
From November 1970 to December 1972, he served a church mission in the Uruguay-Paraguay Mission.
He received a degree in Architecture from the University of Washington and went on to a career in business and finance.
Long before these skits became staples in the family program, Phil and his cousin John were the original performers behind both “Wishy-Washy” and their own original piece, “A Pocket!”