Phillip Rey

Resourceful, hardworking, and fun, Phillip Rey lived a life rich in family and friends. Phil was always adaptable to anything his job, kids, or life threw at him. With his huge sense of humor, Phil never pulled any punches and was known to say it like it is. Whether creatively solving a complex problem, helping others, cheering on his loved ones' goals and dreams, mowing the lawn, or enjoying a meal with his family, Phil embraced each day as a gift to be treasured. A steadfast husband, father, grandfather, brother, and friend, Phil will long be remembered and so very missed.

Despite the obvious gloom of the Great Depression and growing conflict in Europe, 1936 held much to celebrate. American track and field athlete Jesse Owens dominated the Summer Olympics in Berlin, the BBC started the first public Television broadcasts in London, and the novel Gone With the Wind was published. As President Roosevelt was elected for a second term, the Hoover Dam first began generating hydroelectric power. Nowhere was there more to celebrate than in the home of Phillip Henry and Mable Elizabeth Rey as they welcomed their son Phillip to their hearts and home on July 11, 1936.

The oldest of four, Phil grew up in Kalamazoo in the good company of his siblings, John, Arlene, and Marilyn. His father and Dutch grandfather were in the contracting business and taught Phillip a solid work ethic from an early age. Phil's dad built some buildings at Pretty Lake Vacation Camp and others around Kalamazoo before working at Upjohn for 25 years. Phil's mother tended the home and, for a time, worked for a pansy grower in the neighborhood. Phil attended McKinley School on Burdick Street, down the street from the family's home on East Emerson Street and played a lot of ball out in the street with the neighborhood kids. Phil loved watching trains go by and spent a lot of time with his brother, running around the old factory chasing pigeons with BB guns.

After beginning his junior high school years at Washington School, Phil became part of the first class to attend South Junior High School. Phil then attended Kalamazoo Central High School on Westnedge until he dropped out to enlist in the Army. During his years of service, from 1955 to 1958, Phil served in the Infantry before transferring to the 7th Army truck unit, driving troops out to the field. He also made long runs over Germany, hauling supplies from the dock to the places where troops were stationed.

Once Phil completed his service in the Army, he returned home and worked at Upjohn for a year. Phil and several of the guys who worked together used to run over to where the bars were for a burger and a beer on lunch hour. While at the Flynn's Super Burger on Portage Street in 1958, Phil first met the love of his life, Mary McKenna. At the time, Mary was the welcoming, on-air voice at the other end of the phone for callers for the show WKZO At Your Service. The pair began dating, and Phil kept Mary on her toes, as she was quieter and more reserved than him. Over the next year, they made many wonderful memories. Spending the day with friends at Silver Beach in St. Joseph, MI, proved one of their favorite dates. With their hearts set on sharing the future, the happy couple married on October 3, 1959, in a marriage ceremony held at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Kalamazoo, Michigan, which Father Rogford officiated. They celebrated their union with a honeymoon on Lake Michigan's shoreline. They began their travels by exploring Michigan's western shoreline and making their way home through Wisconsin and Chicago, stopping to visit Phil's aunt in Waukegan, Illinois.

Upon returning home, the newlyweds made their first home on Fairbanks Court, and Phil began working in the kitchen at the State Hospital, where he helped feed over 2,600 people. Phil shared his love of trains with Mary, and the pair went on some of his old favorites together. Their son "Sam" was born on June 21, 1960, and followed two years and one day later by their son Mark. Mary left her work at WKZO to devote herself to raising their boys. In the early 70s, Phil built their home in Delton with the help of friends and coworkers from the Fisher Body Plant in Kalamazoo, where the family lived from 1971 until 1985.

In time, Phil began working for General Motors, eventually retiring from the company. A man who enjoyed figuring out how to fix and build things, Phil learned a lot of skills on his own through trial and error. He always seemed to have a project going and took great pride in his custom work and helping others with their projects. When the kids were younger, Phil worked on various projects, including building basement bars, custom floorings, painting houses, and more. He could fix anything and handed this talent and trait down to both of his sons. Phil helped both boys with their homes, right down to the electrical wiring. Working together, they could get anything done, balancing each other out in knowledge and hands-on experience and maintaining Phil's motto, "It's not gonna get done if you quit."

A hard worker, Phil also knew the importance of having fun. When Hot Wheels first came out, Phil dropped everything, drove to the nearest store, and bought a Hot Wheels car and some tracks. He and his boys enjoyed setting the tracks up all over the house and playing with them. In his leisure time, Phil enjoyed golfing, fixing and building things, and spending time with the kids and grandkids. Great pet lovers, he and Mary always had dogs, including various terriers and labradors, throughout his and his kids' lives. When they lived in Delton, Phil hunted everything in the Allegan Forest near their home.

Phil was the chef of the family and cooked just about anything. He would make big pots of chili or goulash in the winter, man the grill, and make potato salad during summer. Sam's Club rotisserie chicken was a favorite, too. Phil would throw the food on the table, and Mary would handle the cleanup. A big foodie, Phil would plan his whole day around a meal. If they were planning to eat out, he would look ahead at the menu and be the first to figure out what he would order. He loved ribs, and if they were good, he'd never stop praising them, but if they weren't, he'd really let you know.

In 1985, the family returned to Kalamazoo and made their home on Wheaton Avenue, where Phil enjoyed hanging out with the neighbors; there was lots of porch-sitting and catching up with a beer or a double Jack Daniels with water, depending on which neighbor he was with. His beer of choice: Michelob Light was the beer of choice for a long time. He famously HATED Budweiser. In May of 1990, Mary and Phil moved to their final home on Bronson Boulevard.

Phil fondly reminisced about the many places he and Mary traveled. Over the years, they visited Italy, Spain, Germany, and Nova Scotia. They also traveled with their children. Before Disney Land was built, the whole family would visit the beaches and local attractions in Florida. While their grandchildren were young, the family enjoyed many camping adventures. Phil and Mary purchased a fifth wheel to start and, later, a trailer. For a few years, they parked the trailer at Beech Grove Campground in Marcellus, Michigan, where they enjoyed spending every night sharing stories and lots of laughter. Mary and Phil became part of the Disney Vacation Club and enjoyed several great trips to Walt Disney World.

A proud grandfather of six grandchildren, Phil loved being a grandparent. He enjoyed spending time with his grandchildren, always joking and making them laugh. He and Mary proudly cheered on their every endeavor, attending many Little League and soccer games along the way.

For entertainment, Phil enjoyed watching Lawrence Welk on Saturday nights, followed by the Antique Roads Show. Summertime music at the Bronson Park Bandshell was a favorite, as was Tigers baseball and Lions football for a number of years. However, when his blood pressure got too high over their losses, he didn't watch too much anymore. Phil also enjoyed outside work. After retiring from GM, he worked at Milham Park for six years when his son Sam ran the course. Phil mowed a lot of grass and continued to use his vast skill set to fix things.

As we gather to celebrate Phil's life, may we find comfort in our treasured memories and in carrying his legacy of hard work, laughter, and perseverance forward. In each moment we confidently face life's challenges, lend our gifts and talents in service of others, pursue a fix to a tricky project, host a barbecue, or travel with our beloved, we keep Phil's memory alive and inspiring others as he so inspired each of us.

Life Story Services will be held at 11 AM on Wednesday, October 9, 2024, at Betzler Life Story Funeral Homes, 6080 Stadium Drive, Kalamazoo (269) 375-2900. Celebrate Phillip’s life online by sharing your favorite stories and photos on his dedicated webpage at BetzlerLifeStory.com.