Brad Ian Phillips

Brad Ian Phillips (65) passed away peacefully on Sunday morning February 23 at Strong Memorial Hospital’s Wilmot Cancer Center after a year-long courageous battle against three synchronous Lynch Syndrome malignancies. He was born on August 16, 1959, in Rochester, NY to Clay E. Phillips, Jr., MD and Ruth K. Phillips, their second child joining elder brother Clay and eventual younger sister Ann.

After his father’s fellowship training in Wales, UK, the family settled in Penfield, NY in an historic colonial home fondly referred to locally as the “duck pond house”. Childhood highlights include summer camp at Adirondack Swim and Trip Camp where he particularly excelled in archery and marksmanship, family sailing on Cape Cod and Lake Ontario, studying several musical instruments, interest in medieval history, competing in the triple jump in track, participating in a bowling league, and playing strategic war games with friends. Brad was a 1977 Penfield High School graduate, where he was an accomplished musician, academician, and National Merit Scholar recipient. He then earned a BA degree in Philosophy from Trinity College in Hartford, CT, where he was a member of Saint Anthony’s Hall fraternity and competitive fencing saber team, and a BS degree in Small Business Administration from the Rochester Institute of Technology. He also completed courses at Nazareth College, the Eastman School of Music, and Johns Hopkins University.

Brad enlisted in the US Army Infantry in 1985, completing military basic training at Fort Benning Georgia, and then served in the NY Army National Guard until honorably discharged in 1992 having achieved the rank of First Lieutenant. He particularly enjoyed his service assignment in Germany where while guarding nuclear munitions, he had ample opportunities to sample German food and beer. Subsequently, he re-settled in Rochester where he worked in financial services and sales management before settling into a long career in security services, most notably for USPS facilities and from which he retired in 2023.

Brad was an accomplished musician with wide-ranging tastes and an expansive collection of recordings. He also enjoyed photography, audiovisual production, the outdoors, and motorcycle riding along rural roads. By far his most passionate pastime was military reenactment. He worked with several units in the northeastern US and was considered an expert in WWII era European military history. Joining fellow reenactors at the annual Odessa Tactical Event for friendly competition and fellowship was definitely a highlight of his year. Brad’s reenactment community was more than a group of friends, they were his

second family and provided him with compassionate support during his recent health challenges.

Brad was preceded in death by his parents and survived by siblings Clay E. Phillips, III (Katherine) and Ann Phillips Waite, MD (Mark), six nieces and nephews, and many cousins. He will join his parents in eternal rest at a private ceremony at the family cemetery in East Dennis, MA. An informal fellowship gathering with local friends is planned for early April. The family thanks the Rochester medical community, especially at the Wilmot Cancer Center, for their consistently dedicated and compassionate care of Brad. We also thank the Alvah Halloran & Son Funeral Home in Rochester NY, and the Doan, Beal and Ames Funeral Home in Dennis, MA for their attentive collaboration.

Please consider donations in Brad’s memory to the Wilmot Cancer Center’s Hereditary Cancer Screening and Risk Reduction Program or Lynch Syndrome Support Group.