Philip H. Taylor (1932-2024)

Philip H. Taylor, LCDR, USN (ret.), died on May 18, 2024. He was 91.

Phil was born in Miami on March 30, 1933. He graduated from Sarasota High School in 1951, where he lettered in basketball, baseball and football. He attended Georgia Tech on a basketball scholarship for one year before enlisting in the Marine Corps. He went to Parris Island in October 1952. Phil received a fleet-wide appointment to the United States Naval Academy and graduated with the class of 1958 as a member of the 1st company.

Phil married Sheila Ann McNamee in the Naval Academy chapel the day after graduation. Their amazing marriage lasted 61 years until her death in 2019.

After graduation, Phil completed flight training in Pensacola, FL and received his Naval Aviator wings in December 1959. After his first squadron assignment (VP-45) at NAS North Island, he went to the Naval Postgraduate School and received a degree in Meteorology. He was a fleet weather forecaster at NAS Kodiak, AK before moving back to the VP community. He flew a P3B (VP-42) out of NAS Jacksonville. He believed he was the only plane commander in the VP community to photograph a Russian nuclear sub at sea during the cold war. The photos taken in the Med in 1968-69 were rushed back to the US for analysis.

Phil returned to the west coast as the meteorologist on the USS Ticonderoga (CVS-14). Next, he was attached to the Chief of Naval Air Training Command in Corpus Christi, TX as the Student Control Officer. During his final tour as Officer in Charge of the Weather Detachment at NAS Meridian, he earned a master's degree with Honors in Political Science from Mississippi State. He retired from active duty on 1 Sept 1977.

After his Navy career, Phil returned to Sarasota and managed three different lumber yards. He was a census enumerator in 2000, and a census staff trainer in 2010. After making retirement homes in Sarasota, Crossville, TN, and Spanaway, WA, Phil and Sheila moved to Havre de Grace, MD in 2014 where they lived with their daughter and son-in-law.

Phil enjoyed following and attending Navy sports. He was thrilled to attend the Navy-Notre Dame game in Dublin last year, where he proudly displayed his "58 is Great!" Banner.

Phil is survived by his brother Frank, and sister Marian, as well as his sons Philip, Timothy (Leah), Christopher and daughter Kathryn (Duane). He also leaves a grandson Matthew, and two step-grandsons, Shaun and Brian. He is predeceased by his beloved wife, Sheila. Phil will be inurned in the columbarium at the Naval Academy at a later date.

Online condolences may be made at www.zellmanfuneralhome.com.