Philip Paul Kyburz Sr

Philip (Phil) Kyburz, passed away on June 12, 2023, at the age of 87. He was born into the world in New York City on November 5, 1935. The second son of Swiss and Austrian immigrants Edward Kyburz and Anna Wick Kyburz, he grew up in a working-class home in West Hempstead, NY. His brother Edward was quite a bit older and went off to college while Phil was still young.

When it was Phil’s time to leave the nest, it was off to Brooklyn Polytech Institute and the Army ROTC. Civil engineering was his calling. After graduation and a short full-time stint with the Army Corps of Engineers, he transferred to the Army Reserves and was hired by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. There was a civil engineering boom going on and new dam designers were needed to help quench the thirst of and bring power to a fast-growing West. He started his working career in Denver in the mid-1950s, not far from where his son Philip Jr. lives now.

In the early 1960s, the Bureau transferred him to Albuquerque, NM. The native New Yorker proudly told his new co-workers that he intended to start a garden and grow both green and red chiles. He would soon learn from his now laughing co-workers that they were one and the same, just different stages of ripeness.

On Christmas Day, 1963, Phil attended a party at a co-worker’s house. He first saw Pauli that day and struck up a conversation. They dated…he wanted to move quickly. She was not too sure yet, insisting, “you need to start going back to your church.” She was convinced soon enough, though. November 14, 1964, was the big wedding day at St. Charles Borromeo Church. Phil and Pauli had started their life together.

They welcomed their first son, Philip Jr., into the world in 1967, and the second, Randy, a couple of years later. The family was building a life. Phil was not too happy when, in 1974, word came that his office was moving to Texas. He and Pauli decided he should keep the job, so off to Amarillo it was.

Phil and his family found their new neighbors in Amarillo very friendly and welcoming, even if the area was incredibly flat and windblown. They quickly settled into a local parish where he and Pauli were mainstays of the choir. Their children attended the parish school. On career day, he loved telling the students all about designing and building a dam – though maybe one son was still convinced an engineer just drove a train.

After Philip Jr. left home following school, Phil’s job moved to the same site where he started years ago, the Denver Federal Center. He and Pauli found a home nearby in an area that they loved. They were overjoyed that the mountains were again in their backyard instead of a vacation destination.

In 1990, Phil retired from the Bureau of Reclamation and began to experience retired life. Over the years, he and Pauli spent time traveling, relaxing, volunteering, and attending their sons’ weddings. As time went on, Pauli’s health concerns required a move to a lower altitude. Her brother and his wife lived in northern Idaho and Phil and Pauli loved the area. They moved to Post Falls in 2006, and enjoyed the quiet and relaxed atmosphere of the area for several years.

Phil and Pauli moved to Chateau Bothell Landing in 2013 to be closer to their son Randy and his wife. They easily settled into the area and joined the nearby St. Brendan’s Catholic Church. Phil quickly jumped into Chateau life, joining various resident boards and holding resident association positions. He loved helping newly arrived residents and would often repair things for them. People would come to him for assistance on everything from where things were to getting their televisions set up. It was as if he was almost staff at times. Phil, always the punctual one, arrived for meals early and was well known for tapping his watch by the Chateau restaurants’ host desks if he thought they were not opening on time.

Time was taking a toll on his love, Pauli, and he became what so many are today – a caregiver. His loving, caring wife and the mother to his children now needed more help than he could provide. It was a hard day when she had to leave their apartment for more care. Phil continued to see Pauli as often as he could, even when his health began to interfere. When Randy would drop by, Phil always asked how she was doing. He obviously missed her so much every day.

Services will be held on Friday, June 30, 2023, at St. Brendan Catholic Church, 10111 NE 192 St, Bothell, WA. The rosary will begin at 10:00am with a Funeral Mass following at 11:00 am. A short reception at the church will follow the Mass.

In lieu of flowers and in respect for Phil’s love of cats, please consider making a donation to Homeward Pet Adoption Center in Woodinville, WA.