Dr. Philip Eugene Cannata

But, let’s start at the very beginning…

Philip was born on January 28, 1949, in Springfield, Illinois, to Rose and Umberto Cannata. Even from a young age, he had a curious mind, an unshakable faith, and a deep love of music. And those three passions shaped the course of his entire life.

In 1967, he enrolled at St. Joseph’s College as a music major. And one year later, he got the chance to transfer to his dream school – the University of Notre Dame – to study physics. So off to South Bend he went, graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Physics in 1972. (Go Irish!) But he never left his first passion behind. A proud trombonist in the Notre Dame Band and fondly known as “the Phantom of the Physics department”, he continued his music studies and earned a second Bachelor’s degree in Music from St. Joseph’s, as well as a minor in Music from Notre Dame.

As fate would have it, moving back to Springfield that summer opened his most exciting chapter of all: meeting the love of his life, Rita. One sunny day, while outside directing the Griffin High School band, she rode by on her bike and recognized him instantly from her cousin’s wedding. Something told her to turn around to say hello – and the rest, as they say, was history.

On May 27, 1973, they began the greatest adventure of their lives together. Over the course of 53 years, they raised nine children, lived in four different states, and very rarely missed a Friday date night. Through every season of life, they remained each other’s best friend, proving that the truest form of love is in choosing each other, every single day.

After earning a PhD in High Energy Particle Physics from Notre Dame in 1980, Philip, Rita, and four little ones said goodbye to the Midwest and set off for New Jersey, where he began what would become a lifelong career in computer science. At Bell Labs, he was instrumental in the development of Unix operating systems, helping design and implement Shared Memory, Semaphores, and Memory Mapped Files in Unix 4.2 and Unix 5.0.

Then came an opportunity in Austin. What started as “just two years” quickly became home. In the years that followed, Philip served as a Research Director at MCC, and went on to work at IBM and Sun Microsystems before joining Oracle as a Principal Software Engineer, Oracle Certified Professional, and teacher for Oracle University. With 14 patents and four books on quantum mechanics and quantum field theory to his name, he showed that a life spent learning was a life well-spent.

For 18 years, he shared that love of learning as an Adjunct Professor of Computer Science at the University of Texas at Austin, teaching subjects from data management and visualization to programming languages and networking.

And through it all, music remained a constant thread. It was the language through which he connected with others, with himself, and with God. When he wasn’t directing church choirs on Sunday mornings, he was in the orchestra pit at the piano, accompanying musical performances as only he could. He never just played the music; he created art, even in the smallest moments. And if you ever stepped on stage or up to a mic, you knew he had your back – no matter where your nerves might take you.

But even with all of his professional accomplishments, the roles he treasured most weren’t engineer, professor, author, or musician. They were husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. At the heart of everything he did and everything he loved was the family he and Rita created. Whether it was singing Disney music by the pool, packing up the car for a road trip, hiking in the greenbelt, or splitting one too many plates of Chinese food on Kid’s/Grandkid’s Day… what mattered was being together, and honoring the gifts God gave them.

Philip was preceded in death by his mother, Rose Cannata Hassiepen; his grandmother, Rose McAdams; and his aunt and uncle, Mary and Bill Moore. He is survived by his wife, Rita; his children, Nicolette, Antoinette (Dan), Jeanette (Brian), Philip (Emily), Lynnette (Justin), Christopher (Marisol), Andrew (Kailynn), Juliette (Gabriel), and Yvette (Steven); and his 24 grandchildren and one great-grandchild. He also leaves behind his brother, Greg (Lucy); nieces and nephews, Greg (Natalie), Rachel, and Rebecca (Brian); and a host of extended family and lifelong friends.

His family stands as his greatest legacy, and everyone who had the privilege of knowing him was changed for good by his faith, kindness, curiosity, and steady presence.

In keeping with Philip’s wishes, a private funeral service will be held for the immediate family.

From his wife, his children, and his grandchildren, there could be no more fitting way to honor his memory than to say: "Thank you for the music."