Final Salute

Albert W. Phillips
April 26, 1929 – December 14, 2020
San Diego, CA
“One must wait until the evening to know how splendid the day has been,” and Al’s 91 years were just that, a splendid day. Born Albert W. Phillips, but known and loved as Al, he was a 2nd generation San Diegan, born on April 26, 1929, and he lived in SD until his passing. Al grew up mainly in San Diego, but would join his father in Oregon from time to time. This was due to a divorce when Al was very young. Al’s sister, Sandy, would be his off and on companion growing up, sometimes split up by family issues, the two would inevitably end up back together and vowed never to be split again. They would be the closest brother and sister you could ever meet until Al’s passing. Al did not graduate High School initially, instead convinced his father to sign off and allow him to enlist in the Navy in 1946, where he served in the Pacific in the Seabee’s and then later in the Caribbean. He would gain his diploma while serving. Al would serve, as he would say, “seven years, three months, six days, thirteen hours, and 36 minutes.” As a returning GI, he attended San Diego Jr. College (now City College), majoring in social studies, editing the college newspaper, performing in plays presented by the theatre department, where he met Gerry Topley, whom he married.

They settled into domestic life and began a family which eventually included three children: Charles, Anne, and Kathy. He continued his education at San Diego State College (now SDSU) as a history major, with membership in Phi Alpha Theta, the honorary academic society for history majors. He graduated in 1959 and despite all expectations that he would be a full time history teacher, the subject he loved so much, he would take a job in the Welfare Department for two years and then became a Probation Officer with the County of SD in 1961, while simultaneously continuing to teach US History at San Diego High Adult School at night. Al would work two jobs until finally retiring from the Probation Department in 1989.He would continue to teach a few more years, he never lost his passion for history, reading voraciously which continued into his 9th decade. It was an education to listen to him and his fellow history-buffs; he was a sharp and insightful reader and his conversations were as broad as they were deep, setting the contemporary world into its historical context. He was the ideal Armchair Scholar. Yet he was also a raconteur, a story-teller of the highest order, full of wit and good humor. His compassion and understanding were evidenced when he and Gerry divorced and they remained good friends always. A world traveler, he toured Europe with Gerry, visiting historical landmarks he’d only read about. Later, he married Annie Richardson, an actress in local theatre, and with her he visited Canada where he fell in love with Lake Louise and the Canadian Rockies, even rowing out onto the lake where Annie serenaded him. In Australia, she oversaw his care when he had an emergency appendectomy. They cruised the Caribbean, departing from New Jersey in Sept 2011, looking at the smoke still rising from the destruction of NYC’s Twin Towers. When Annie passed in 2002, Al became the most sought-after escort in town. He was a “courtly gentleman of the old school,” respected as much as he was liked. We dubbed him “The Al,” a spinoff of “The Fonz,” due to his immense charm with women as well as anyone else that struck up a conversation with him.In 2017, age 88, he fulfilled a lifelong dream: a boat cruise on the Danube, stopping at villages, cities, and historical sites. In Vienna, he was photographed standing before the monument to Johann Strauss, his face beaming with happiness. What a wonderful way to remember him! He survived major cancer surgery, had undergone quadruple bypass surgery and lived with a pacemaker. In his later years, Charles became his constant companion, then official caregiver, visiting him daily, tending to his needs, and watching classic old movies with him. Al’s splendid day came to a close on December 14, when he succumbed to a combination of pneumonia and Covid-19 after he suffered a serious fall. He is survived by his sister Sandy Keel, daughters Anne (Bob) and Kathy, all of San Diego; his son Charles (Marilyn) of Chula Vista, step-daughter Diane of San Diego, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews and too many friends to count. A celebration of his life will be held on August 7th, at 10 AM, at North De Anza Cove. He will be greatly missed because we know that we will never see his like again.
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Published by San Diego Union-Tribune on Jul. 18, 2021.