Philip Owen Severson passed away peacefully on Dec. 22, 2017, surrounded with love, his family and staff at the Idaho State Veterans Home.
Dad was born on Oct. 13, 1919, in Sparta Township, Minn. He had great stories of growing up in Minneapolis, including his grandmother taking him to be baptized in the Catholic Church while his father was away. The one thing that always resonated from the stories was how close his family was. His mother and grandmother were very influential in his life.
Dad joined the Navy in January of 1940. He proudly served as a boatswain mate on the USS Idaho during WWII. Who could know years later that he would live in Idaho.
After an honorable discharge in 1946, dad moved to Portland, Ore. He married, had a son and divorced. He moved to California to be near his family, who had relocated. Years later he met and married our mom, Sylvia, the love of his life, who was teaching school in California and was from Idaho. Having a daughter born in California and a son in Seattle, the trek back and to Idaho again began.
There was a stint in Spokane before dad took a transfer to Lewiston, eventually working for and retiring from the University of Idaho as the head of Office Machine Maintenance. Dad didn't do much sitting. He always had several projects going on, from adding on to the house, coaching softball to eventually putting in a pool.
In 1981 dad retired, spending time with his beloved wife of 50 years traveling, gardening, golfing, fishing and hunting. Dad also volunteered with the local Catholic church and the Lewiston Elks. Family was of the utmost importance to dad.
Phil is survived by his children Jill Sutton and Ken (Jen) Severson; a sister, Susan Thomas; many grandchildren and great-grandchildren, including his very special friend Andrea. His son, Phil Severson, passed away in October of this year. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Idaho Veterans Assistance league, Attn.: Activities or Catholic charities.
Rosary will be recited at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Lewis Clark Memorial Gardens. Burial will be at 9 a.m. Thursday at Lewis Clark Memorial Gardens. A funeral mass will follow at 10:30 a.m. at All Saints Catholic Church, 3330 14th St., Lewiston. A reception will follow.
