Philip was born June 28, 1950, in Newton to the late Frank and Claire Weiler. Phil grew up in Branchville and lived in Hampton then Sandyston Township during his adult years. He enjoyed reminiscing about his childhood and the fun capers he and his friends had with the idyllic town of Branchville being their playground.
After 31 years with Selective Risks, Phil retired in September of 2013. In his younger years he was employed at the Great Gorge Ski Resort in Vernon, New Jersey and managed a record store in Hackettstown, New Jersey.
Softball was a favorite of Phil. He played in a local church league and was a founder of the illustrious Branchville Bombers team. He also played in the Selective Risks softball league. Third base was his position of choice.
Phil was a music affectionato with phenomenal knowledge that encompassed numerous genres. He enjoyed adding to his amazing collection of CDs and vinyl. He was a Woodstock alumnus and continued to attend an uncountable number of festivals and live concerts throughout his lifetime. Vacations revolved around locales heavily influenced by music. He went on multiple music themed cruises and was delighted to cross Austin, Memphis and Nashville off his bucket list. His favorite was New Orleans which he visited 12 times. Phil had his “10 seconds of fame” when he auditioned for and appeared in a Time Life infomercial for the Music of the Love Generation CD series.
Phil is survived by his loving wife, Debra; his children, Chelsie (Anthony Chicarielli), Ian (Caitlin) and Kailey (Joanna Delio); his four grandchildren, Marissa, Brooke, Jesse and Thea and his siblings Norman and Leslie (Maurice Hornocker).
A celebration of Phil’s life will be held on Sunday, March 16th from 1pm – 4pm in the barn venue at Perona Farms, 350 Andover-Sparta Rd. Andover NJ.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to The Roots of Music, 1020 North Prieur St. New Orleans, LA 70116 / therootsofmusic.org or The Eleventh Hour Rescue, 77 Flanders Rd. Flanders, NJ 07836 / ehrdogs.org. Condolences may be offered to the family below.
