Mary Philip

Mary Philip, fondly called Marykutty, of Kollunkeriyil family, was born on February 12, 1934, in Aymanam, Kerala, India. She was the daughter of T.J. John and Mariamma John. She was predeceased by her nine siblings: three sisters and six brothers.

She was the beloved wife of Thoni Varkkey Philip, Ph.D. (fondly called Pothachan) of the Thycodathu family; after their marriage on January 12, 1959, they shared 55 loving years together, until his passing on June 18, 2014. Soon after their wedding, Pothachan returned to the US for his work, but Marykutty had to wait in India over 2-1/2 years to obtain her visa to the US. Although he was able to visit her in India, she was only able to join her husband in Philadelphia in August 1961. In April 1966, they moved to Reading PA, where she lived ever since. Their children are George Philip, M.D. (working as Executive Director of Medical Affairs at Merck), John Philip (working at Berco Industries since 1991), and Neena Mariam Philip, Ph.D. (working in the School of Public Health at Columbia University). George is father to both of Mary’s grandchildren, Nathaniel George Philip and Isaac Alexander Philip.

Mary Philip, along with Dr. T. V. Philip, was one of the founding members of the St. Gregorios Malankara Orthodox Church in Bensalem, PA. She was an active member of the Church for many decades. In the local Indian Malayalee Christian community, Marykutty was seen as a kind, humorous, and graceful advisor and mother figure, who loved to open her beautiful home and delicious dinner table to family and friends alike. Her loving and generous manner was dearly appreciated by all members of her immediate and extended family, as well as her broader community of friends and her sisters & brothers in the Church.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.lambfuneralhomeinc.com for the Philip family.