Phillip Warren Stormant Jr.

Because I used to be able to say “Hi I’m Daniel, and this is my brother Phillip.”On the evening of Dec 12th, 2014, Phillip passed away in a peaceful manner. He became one with the light he loved at the age of 29. Phillip Warren Stormant, Jr. was born in Pensacola, Florida on Dec 31st 1984. He was the second son of his mother Elizabeth Willson and the first son of his father Phillip Stormant. Phillip’s life was filled with travel and adventure. He wasn’t born in a hospital, but at home amongst friends and family. He was a creative and playful child (not to mention completely adorable). He showed an early propensity for art with his Playdough and lego creations. However, most of his playtime was spent playing make believe with his sister Heather, his sister Eva and his brother Daniel. Adolescence was as difficult for him as most children, but he began making straight A’s in school when he went to live with his father during the middle of his high school years. He moved back to live with his mother and sisters in Alaska where he continued to excel and graduated from high school at the age of 18. Throughout his young adulthood he loved board sports including snowboarding and long boarding. In fact, he was environmentally conscious and would ride his long board for miles as his primary means of transportation to avoid buying a car. He moved around a good bit during those early adult years because he was always searching for higher meaning in life. He lived in Santa Fe New Mexico, Boulder Colorado, and Mali Africa while visiting his half-sister Rhea while she was serving in the Peace Corps there. Throughout all his travels he took amazing photographs. He was always fascinated with light and shadow and the way light transcends the physical world. This was also demonstrated in his beautiful, playful, clever and insightful drawings and paintings. Phillip never wanted to conform to societal norms. He believed there had to be more important things in life than toiling away at a typical 9-5 job to attain respect from strangers or acquaintances by driving a fancy car or wearing designer clothes. He was in essence, a minimalist. Despite all this, he decided to go to college to seek out those answers he desperately needed. He began at the University of Alaska Anchorage, but he needed something more, something different. He decided to transfer to Naropa University (a Buddhist inspired private school in Boulder Colorado). The art and photography program there intrigued him and the Buddhist ideas were more congruent with his own thinking than other mainstream schools. He excelled there and graduated with a Bachelors of Fine Arts degree with a near perfect GPA. After graduating, he was asked to stay on and teach some of the introductory photography classes. This was a high honor for someone who had just graduated with a bachelor degree. He felt very passionate about teaching and planned his lessons carefully. Phillip decided that he could make a contribution to this world as a college art professor. To accomplish this, he applied and was accepted to a Masters of Fine Arts Degree program, but the curriculum attempted to stifle his free thinking and he decided to drop out and continue his search elsewhere. He was always respected by his Professors, collegiate peers and friends for his artistic talent and originality. Shortly after his death, Phillip’s family began receiving letters from many friends and colleagues. They were all expressing their sorrow for his loss. More importantly though, they were all expressing thanks to Phillip for helping them or someone they knew and loved during a time when they were down. Phillip gave personally made artistic gifts to numerous friends when they were depressed to “help them in the dark times”. He made friends, changed lives and made an impact wherever he went in this world! All this I write for my brother, and for me he was my ultimate confidant…the one person in the world I knew I could tell anything to without any judgment. I tried to be that for him, but there were things he couldn’t share with anyone. His mother Beth, father Phil, sisters Heather and Eva also shared this relationship with him. He was strong, talented and even gifted! He was one of the most caring, compassionate and empathetic people I’ve ever known. He was a brother, a son, a snowboarder, long boarder, an artist, photographer, poet, writer, philosopher, spiritualist, scholar and teacher. Most of all though, Phillip was authentic!!! Unfortunately, like many highly intelligent and innovative people, his mind was constantly tormenting him with questions of the unknowns in life: the meaning of existence and the essence of what love is, etc. Long talks with my brother and reading through his journal lead me to believe that he just couldn’t take the constant war between his thoughts anymore. He couldn’t shut out all the senseless pain in the world. At long last and with sorrow like a sea of unending sadness, I must report that my brother chose to take his own life. I know he wouldn’t want me to hide this from his friends or family. His mind was brilliant and with neurons firing incessantly for 29 years, he finally gained peace through taking his own life. He did not suffer, but just went to sleep. I know that he is on a higher journey of finding meaning now, and I know that his is a soul that will find enlightenment. Excerpt from Phillip’s personal journal: “Everything is. No matter how bad, hard, good, amazing, or Wonderful. You are great and you are happy simply because you are YOU. Everything is Love, so Love Everything. You wrote this. You know it is true.” Phillip is survived by: His Father Phillip Warren Stormant, Sr.; His Mother Elizabeth Ann Willson; His Sister Heather Louise Bradley; His Brother Daniel Evan Bradley; His Sister Eva Elizabeth Stormant; and his niece Cyenda Cycelia Stormant. A memorial service will be held for his family and friends at The Oaklawn Funeral Home located at 619 North New Warrington Road, Pensacola, FL 32506 from 2:00pm to 4:00pm (850) 453-2321. His mother would prefer that instead of gifts, donations be sent to the Phillip Stormant Memorial Fund on crowdrise.com. Funds will be used to help start the Love and Light Art and Farming community where troubled souls may go to heal. Feel free to leave a message of love on Phillip’s Facebook page as well.