The Henry Family has enjoyed hearing so many wonderful stories from family and friends about their favorite memories of Phil. It brings comfort to us to know how he touched so many people’s lives. We ask that you share your memories with us here on Phil’s web site, so that they will forever be available for us to reflect upon.
My favorite memory came rushing back to me yesterday as I was running on the Worthington bike path, enjoying a rare beautiful sunny day. A red cardinal crossed my path and landed on a branch within eight feet of me. I stopped in my tracks and felt Phil’s presence in this amazing moment – the snow covering the landscape as the river rushed from the melting snow. So many of my memories involve physical activity with Phil, for that is something our entire family thrives on.
Phil once came to visit me when I was coaching in Pensacola, Florida. It was St. Patrick’s Day weekend and we started our Saturday with a 10K race near the beach. The run ended at a popular Irish pub where everyone hung out and drank the free beer. (This was of course before Phil’s sober years!) Then we headed to the beach for the day to soak in the rays, play paddle ball and swim in the ocean. In the early afternoon, we went to a sports bar on the beach to watch NCAA March Madness basketball. That evening Phil said to me, “Now THAT was an incredible day!” I will forever remember that day and so many of the wonderful memories of Phil. Please share your memories with us!!
I have a couple favorite memories of uncle Phil.
One of them is him bouncing me on his knee singing “old miss brown”
but I only remembered that when i watched him do it to my kids many years later.
This one is silly and I don’t know why it sticks out in my mind but when I was maybe 6 he spent quite a bit of time painting my house one summer. I think back now that i probably drove him insane, I followed him around all the time asking him random questions about what he was doing and if I could help. He was in some kind of work van, he didn’t have his own business yet (it was twenty-one years ago) so on his lunch of course I followed him out to his van and he let me sit in it with him, and I broke the rear-view mirror somehow. He never acted annoyed with me but now I think back he surly was thinking “KID GO SOMEWHERE ELSE!” but he never said a word. For some reason when I think of it all these years later I can still remember it so clearly.
Thanks for all of your support
Casey Henry
By: Casey on February 20, 2010
at 10:53 am
Great story Megan!
I remember a funny story from our trip to Guadalope down in the Carribean about 4 years ago. We were all on the beach hanging out and Phil asked me if I wanted to snorkel out to a reef off shore……way off shore!
We swam out the 200+ yards and once we reached the reef we cruised along the wall of it seeing some beautiful fish and coral…. but there wasn’t a lot of them so we swam around the end to the ocean side of the reef…..big mistake.
As we swam along, the surge of the waves would undulate up and down and gradually pushed us directly over the shallow reef. As the sea continued to rise up and down we would come within just a foot or so above the coral. This wouldn’t have been a huge deal except for the fact that this part of the reef was covered…and I mean covered in spiny black sea urchins which are like pincushions on steroids!
We raised our heads long enough to discuss what we should do to get out of there…but we didn’t want to touch the coral because it is alive and oils from our skin would kill it. It can also be broken off easily. Neither of us really knew what we should do.. the next surge brought us so close to the coral and the urchins that we had no choice but to do the unthinkable and stand up or risk being impaled on the spines of the urchins! What a sight that must have been to our friends on the beach…..the two of us 200 yards off shore standing up in ankle deep water!
We weren’t out of trouble yet because standing on coral in swim fins with the waves pushing against you from behind is no easy task. With every new wave we would lose balance and as we stooped down we would be pushed forward with our hands, arms, and knees hitting the coral (which is sharp by the way) or worse…coming down hard on the urchin spines which would break off under our skin like splinters. After realizing that maintaining balance was impossible and we were going to be endlessly punctured and cut Phil said, “Let’s get outta here”. We both took off in different directions, waddling like ducks off the reef and into the water. We got together and swam back to shore.
As we walked up on the beach we inspected our wounds and we both had a bunch of the urchin spines embedded in our palms, knees, fingers, and arms. Very painful and annoying because they also burn. We made a trip to the infirmary which was Phil’s idea but come to think of it I think it may have been more because of the cute nurse and not the injuries we sustained.
The crazy thing is the sea urchin spines are a living organism and they remained stuck in us for several months…coming out at random times. I remember when we ran into each other months after the trip we would say “hey I just pulled out another one….from my knee and it was big” and then we would laugh about how crazy that adventure had been and of course than blame the idea of swimming to the ocean side on each other.
I think that this memory is where I really first bonded with Phil directly. Having this story that we shared with others and joked about for months and even years later grew into a great friendship. And I never would have gone out there if he hadn’t asked.
Thanks for asking Phil. It was a great adventure!
By: Chris Shea on February 21, 2010
at 12:21 pm
A funny story that I will always remember about Phil is when he drove to Minneapolis for our wedding and he did it record time, 12 hours. He said he owes it to a bottle of Mountain Dew… for more than one reason, if you know what I mean.
Miss you Cuz !!
Jack
By: Jack Krallman on February 23, 2010
at 11:19 am
Priceless!
By: Megan Henry on February 23, 2010
at 7:02 pm
And that is “an incredible” memory. How lucky you are to have it!! Thanks for sharing with all of us.
By: Molly Mortley Onstott on February 23, 2010
at 10:01 pm
One of my favorite memories is music related, of course. A couple of years ago we were following American Idol and on one show they did a BeeGees night. The following day was our weekly practice session and we ended up turning it into our own BeeGees tribute. I don’t know if I played more or laughed more that night as we worked our way through songs like Run to Me, Nights on Broadway, I’ve Gotta Get a Message to You, and one that the band eventually ended up doing – To Love Somebody. My personal favorite was Phil’s mimicking of Robin Gibb on I Started a Joke. I can still hear his voice stretching for those notes today – “I … looked at the skies … running my hands … over my eyes …”
Thanks for the laughs Phil … looking forward to the next gig.
By: Joe on February 25, 2010
at 6:47 pm
I think Phil has brought his friends to party in my backyard. I have 3 pairs of cardinals out there this morning playing around!!!
)
By: Molly Mortley Onstott on March 4, 2010
at 9:22 am
Awesome! Thanks for sharing your cardinal sightings!!
By: Megan Henry on March 4, 2010
at 4:13 pm
OK…my memories are with Phil in high school…sitting in class, sitting low in those chairs with his long legs, curly hair, HUGE ASS smile and looking out the corner of his eye to see I could help him with a math quiz. …and I’d turn my paper side ways so he could see the answers…
My confessions of a 47 yr old that never told a soul AND I hope my 14 yr old doesn’t not read this because I told him to never cheat! LOL!
By: Kate (Oakley) Leaver on March 5, 2010
at 12:58 pm
I often wonder how everyone in Phil’s Army
is doing ?
Through Phil, I got the opportunity to meet a lot of really nice people that cared for him and loved him.
I hope you are all doing well.
I think that the fact that Phil is gone is beginning to set in, I really miss talking him.
Miss you and Love you Cuz !!
Jack
By: Jack Krallman on April 9, 2010
at 9:26 am
Well written! Some things stay in the family (:
Thanks for keeping us mindful, letting us pause Phil… Red Cardinals, nice weather, exercise, even seeing local painters do one of your favorite jobs – the neighborhood pool …………..
By: Anonymous on May 16, 2010
at 11:47 am
really miss you phil…i come back here every now and then and there is nothing here –you’re really gone. tuesday’s gone with the wind is playing right now and it makes me cry.
to dick, nancy, megan, steve, susan, dave….think about you guys alot….still very deeply troubling and heartbreaking. i’m sorry for all you may be going through with the anniversary on the 12th of phil’s fall and your first summer without him. You are a great family and good people and I hope you draw on all your strengths.
By: Sue on July 15, 2010
at 8:02 pm
6 months today Phil … still sad … still sucks … still missing you
By: Anonymous on July 20, 2010
at 12:50 pm