Philip J. Kearney

Philip John Kearney, age 70, passed away on September 15, 2018 at his home in Milford, CT.

While Phil spent the latter years of his life on the East Coast, he would be quick to tell you that he was “originally from the Bay area”. Phil was born on June 7, 1948 in Berkeley, CA to Ann Kearney and the late Arthur Kearney. Phil was the first of 5 children, being survived by brothers Jim (Char) and Steve (Catie) Kearney, and sisters Mary Kearney and Nancy Tucker (Bob).

After graduating high school, Phil served in the Navy for 3 years, doing a tour in Vietnam. From there, he returned to California, where he joined his father in working for Pac Bell for 20 years. He met his wife, Peggy, and in classic Phil fashion it was a very interesting story. Phil’s younger brother, Steve, was marrying Catie Jansa and Phil really hit it off with Catie’s sister, Peggy. Despite their cultural differences, him being from California and her being from South Dakota, they ended up spending nearly 35 years together.

In that time, Phil and Peggy worked their way from California to Connecticut, having two sons, Christopher and Sean, along the way. Phil was ahead of his time in ignoring gender norms, deciding to be a stay at home dad for his boys for several years. Once the boys were far enough along in school, he decided to join them in academia by enrolling at Quinnipiac College, eventually earning a degree, Magna Cum Laude, in Communications. Even though Phil was in his late forties, he had no problem fitting in with his younger classmates; while also serving as a valuable mentor to many, sharing his wide breadth of life experiences.

Phil began working at what turned out to be his dream job at the Yale University Media Services department in 2001 and was there for 17 years. Along the way, Phil met many politicians, dignitaries, and celebrities (including some of his favorite actors like Paul Giamatti and Meryl Streep). Needless to say, he was in his element. 

Other than family and work, Phil’s true passions were film, reading, music, and sports. You would typically see him with a 49ers hat on, carrying a book, and telling you about one of the many hundreds of Grateful Dead shows he attended or the latest movie that you just had to see. Phil loved keeping in touch with his old friends like Ray Pittsinger and Paul O’Driscoll, and meeting new friends like a random lady in the peaches aisle at Costco.

A celebration of Phil’s life will be held on Saturday September 22, 2018. Come by any time between 10:00 a.m. through 1:00 p.m. at Cody-White Funeral Home 107 Broad Street Milford, CT 06460. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to WPKN Public Radio (https://www.wpkn.org/donate/).

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