Philip deAnguera

Philip de Anguera, 97, of Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey, passed away peacefully on October 8, 2026, with his daughters Lynda and Kathe at his side.

He was born in Cincinnati, Ohio on October 7, 1929 to loving parents Philip Charles and Eva (Green) de Anguera. As a child he loved to learn and was encouraged by his Dad to pursue his lifelong passion of reading and music. His Mom would bake him apple pies from scratch, his favorite dessert. For family enjoyment, his Dad would take them on long drives across country.

He attended Walnut Hills High School in Cincinnati, where he met his future wife, Audrey Daum. Their first date was a double date where he became so focused on playing cards with the guys that when he asked Audrey to “make him a sandwich,” she ended up making him one with some of the playing cards in it. Good thing they both had a sense of humor! Phil was always sharing his ever present sense of humor to light up those around him with smiles.

Phil received a scholarship to Harvard, where he earned his BA degree in Philosophy with a minor in Religion.

Phil enlisted in the army Signal Corps in 1951, during the Korean War, as a Cryptographer. He was a Mason, and a member of The Order Of Groundhogs in Cincinnati.

He married Audrey Claire Daum, the love of his life, on July 16, 1952. They maintained homes in College Park & Lanham, MD; Dumont, NJ; Ossining, NY; Washington Township, NJ; Woodcliff Lake, NJ; Roselle, IL; Huntington, CT and then Lakewood, NJ.

After the Army, he held the position of Vice President of Harrington Wilson Daum Corporation, the family owned machine tools distribution business that began in Cincinnati, then the Chrysler building in NY and finally in Mt Vernon, NY. He traveled a lot for work, building business relationships and good friendships along the way.

Phil and Audrey had five children together. As a Dad, Phil showed his children by action and example that compassion, communication, love, listening, learning and humor are important keys to a richly fulfilling life. He shared a special bond with each of his children. When they were young, he would tuck his children in at night, reading them a story, listening to them saying The Lord’s Prayer, Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep, and all their lists of “God Blesses.” He would then follow up with his funny “to bed to bed said sleepyhead…” rendition, leaving them giggling.

At Christmas, he would follow them around with the 8mm movie camera, filming all the family antics and traditions for posterity: kids coming down the stairs in pajamas - in birth order of course, opening stockings, taking turns opening presents and of hugs and laughter. He was such a good sport when we all gathered around the dining room table to play cards or trivial pursuit, and once in a while he got roped into playing Monopoly. He was also famous for appearing out of nowhere taking candid photos with his Minox camera.

He really enjoyed sharing special times with both of his sons at Indian Guides and Scouting events and activities. He also enjoyed teaching his kids basic fishing, constructing jungle gyms, swing sets, sandboxes, shed/forts, and zip-lines in the backyard. He planted gardens that yielded massive zucchini the size of baseball bats, installed wood fences, hand dipped the shingles for our house - which some hornets tried to stop him from doing, but he prevailed.

He loved baking delicious loaves of dense cracked wheat bread, and long French baguettes which barely made it out of the oven as we’d all gather around to grab a hot slice to butter and eat. He also would cook fun breakfasts like roast beef hash. His sometimes idea of a fun lunch for himself would be a sardine and limberger sandwich, with maybe some peanuts, pretzels and a nice cold mug of Guinness!

He enjoyed unwinding by settling in, closing his eyes, relaxing in his recliner while listening to music: big bands, such as Benny Goodman, classical, guitar and piano instrumentals, as well as some specific favorites such as: Righteous Brothers’ “Unchained Melody,” Peggy Lee’s “Fever,” Bread’s “If,” Reba McEntire’s “I Keep On Loving You,” and more. He would often smile and declare that these were his practice times for being a “Professional Napper”. He always recommended naps if Life was wearing you out or driving you a bit crazy. On his drives to work, he would turn up the volume to his classical favorites: Rachmaninoff, Ravel’s Bolero, Bach, Beethoven, Vivaldi’s 4 Seasons, Handel’s Water Suites and more. He loved listening to his son Phil John play guitar for him, and for the Sunrise residents. He also enjoyed the original songs as written and played by his son-in-law Eric Sinclair. His deep interest and fascination with de Anguera family history sparked Andrea's deep dive into genealogy. She also credits him for introducing her to her very first computer. He was ahead of his time in many ways.

After Audrey died, he moved back to Woodcliff Lake, NJ, into an apartment at Sunrise near his daughter, Lynda. She lived near him to help with his challenges and needs, and planned many adventures for them, including glass blowing, traveling across states to visit friends and family and going to concerts and movies.

At Sunrise, Phil easily made many new friends, and continued to enjoy his passion for music and reading. He enjoyed attending piano sessions by Clint Edwards at Sunrise, developing a friendship with him over shared musical interests. He sometimes read to the kids at the KinderCare next to Sunrise. He would read a chapter from a mutually chosen book each night while FaceTiming with his daughter Kathe for over the past 10 years. Phil also started a regular weekly poetry group at Sunrise, where he gathered poems and short writings to read each week. He had a very loyal core group of listeners, and held his last session the week before he passed.

In addition to his parents, Phil is predeceased by his beloved wife, Audrey, his sister Jane Bowman and his grandson Steven Brownlee, with whom he shared a special love of Rachmaninoff’s classical music.

Phil is survived by his children: Andrea Sinclair and husband Eric of Exeter, NH; Kathryn Klem of Boardman, OH; Phil John of Scipio Center, NY; Lynda Koons of Westwood, NJ; and David of Syracuse, NY. He is also survived by his 6 grandchildren: Kristin Sinclair (Andrew Robertson), Thomas Sinclair (Luisa Godinez Puig), Kimberly Miller (Jonathan), Kathryn Rouse (Stephen), Michael Koons, and Susanna Kearns (Steven); great-grandchildren: Ivy and Luke Miller; Charlie Robertson and Molly Sinclair; and Luisa Martina Puig-Sinclair. He is also survived by his niece Julia Bowman of Powell, Ohio.

The family will receive their relatives and friends at the wake and sharing of memories on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, from 1:00 - 4:00 pm at Becker Funeral Home, 219 Kinderkamack Road, Westwood, NJ. Informal verbal sharing of memories of Phil will take place between 2:00 - 3:00. Written memories of Phil can be given to his daughter Lynda or submitted online through the Becker Funeral Home website.

Donations can be made in honor of Philip deAnguera to support his love for classical music to the Parlance Chamber Concerts, Inc. located 138 Phelps Road, Ridgewood, NJ 07450.

https://www.parlancechamberconcerts.org/make-a-donation