Phillip J. Hamann

It has been said that we don’t choose the River, she chooses us. And for over 40 years, Phil was certainly one of the chosen. He represented all that it meant to be called a River rat. Phil spent most days basking in the sun or finding some shade under his colorful umbrellas on his dock in Blackstone Bay. He enjoyed the company of his fellow River rats because Phil’s dock is just a place, it is a destination.

Born in Rochester, NY on May 9, 1942, he was the son of August and Phyllis Hamann. He attended Rochester City Schools, graduating from Monroe High School in 1961. He then worked as a carpenter for many years.

In 1969, he met the love of his life, Marjorie Sharp, and courted her in Rochester and on the St. Lawrence River where the Sharp family has a camp. It was here that Phil, Marge, their dogs and cats, and the River began a relationship that has endured ever since.

Phil and Marge were married at the Brighton Reformed Church in Rochester on November 20, 1976. They lived in Rochester and visited the Sharp camp until 1988 when Phil put his carpentry skills to good use and built their River house in Blackstone Bay. Since that time, Phil and Marge have welcomed the River and its people to their dock and home, where Phil became an avid photographer.

He is survived by his wife, Marjorie, his brother George, sisters Eleanor and Cathy all of Rochester, a brother, Alan of Warsaw, two nieces, six nephews and several great nieces and nephews. His “children” dogs, Mutsie and Bridget, and cats Elsa, Smokey, Scamp, and Pepper also brought him great joy.

The River will miss his Straw hat, his cooler of ice cold Budweiser, his commentary on the Stock Market and the taxes, and his ability to capture the River life in pictures, and his expression to all “eh”!

Memorial donations can be sent to one’s local Humane Society or the Brighton Animal Hospital in Rochester. A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date. Online condolences can be made to the family at www.foxandmurrayfuneralhome.com