After a long battle with metastatic prostate cancer, Robert Phillips died peacefully at home, at a time of his choosing, with his family by his side. He was 71 years old.
He was born in Vancouver, BC to Frank and Myrtle Phillips. Frank and Myrtle eventually settled with him and his three older siblings in Calgary, Alberta, where Robert had many fond memories of community, friends, and the mountains. He graduated from Henry Wise Wood High School in 1970.
He traveled to Texas and attended Rice University in Houston, where he graduated in 1975 with a Master's Degree in Electrical Engineering. He also met his wife, Melissa Williams, while at Rice, and married her the day after they graduated. They were happily married for 46 years until her death in January of 2022.
Their life took them many places, including Bellingham, WA; Westford, MA; Calgary, AB; and Brookfield, MA, where their children grew up. They had three children: Martha (of Bellingham, WA), Ian (married to Alice, with their son AJ, of Austin, TX), and Graham (with partner Ashley, of Washington, DC).
Robert retired from his life-long career as a software engineer at the beginning of the COVID lockdown, and immediately focused on caring for Melissa as she faded away from early-onset Alzheimer's Disease. He also began writing his first historical fiction novel. "Elodia's Knife" was published in 2023, and received numerous local awards and accolades. Not one to let time go to waste, he immediately started writing the sequels. "Matilde's General" and "Matilde's Empress" will publish on September 30th of this year.
Robert never stopped missing Melissa after her death, and spoke about her with love and reverence regularly. But he also continued to grow his own community in Bellingham, working out at his gym, connecting with other local writers, and volunteering his time and energy with the lively set-building crew at a local theater. He travelled to visit friends and family in British Columbia, Alberta, Israel, Pennsylvania, Washington DC, Texas, New Mexico, and North Carolina.
As his cancer progressed, Robert gave his family the gift of a clear and detailed Living Will, and shared with them his decision to utilize Washington State's Death with Dignity Act when his symptoms from the metastasis became intolerable. His family is grateful to End of Life Washington for their assistance and support as Robert forged his own path until the very end.
He is mourned by his children, his siblings (Alice, Frances, and Tom), and countless family members, cousins, nieces, nephews, and close friends throughout North America. His family is gathering in October for a Celebration of Life, and his ashes will be scattered in the same place as Melissa's.
We miss you, Dad.