Philip Louis Barclay
January 24, 1923 — June 3, 2016
Philip Louis Jude Barclay was born on January 24, 1923, in Los Angeles, California. He was one of three brothers and one sister. He is survived by his sister Joanne, who is twelve years his junior, and his brother, Walter, who turned 100 years old this year. He is also survived by his four children, daughter Christine Alms (husband, John), son Alan (wife, Terry), daughter Gail Avila, and daughter Amy Barclay; six grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren. Phil’s wife, Frances, predeceased him on June 2, 2009. Phil attended St. Catherine’s Military School in Anaheim, California; Manual Arts High School in Los Angeles, California; and enlisted in the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCCs) in 1940. He joined the US Navy in 1941, serving as a Sonarman on the Aleutian Island of Attu, Alaska. After over two years of service, Phil came home, and Phil and Fran were married on February 3, 1945. He began working for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power in 1946 as an Electrician, and worked there until 1983, after 37 years of service. Phil loved life. He was a Navy veteran who always dreamed of having (but never got) his own sailboat. He was a God-loving man who devoted his life to his church (St. Pancratius, Lakewood). He was a generous man who volunteered at Pathways Hospice for nearly 20 years, ironically, until he could no long physically do so. And he was a lover of the outdoors who loved to camp and build and fix things for others. The most outstanding quality of Phil was his sense of humor. He LOVED to make people laugh. The week before he died, he spoke his last full sentences to my sister, Christine, and their conversation went something like this: Dad: “I saw a chicken cross the road.” Chris: “Why did the chicken cross the road?” Dad: “To get to the other side.” Well, Dad is on the other side now, too. He died of natural causes on June 3, 2016, almost seven years to the day after wife Fran’s death. Family and friends like to think that Phil got a case of the "Seven Year Itch", and just wanted to spend eternity with his beloved Frances. We all miss you very much, Dad!
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Philip Louis Barclay, please visit our flower store.