Alexander, Philip Franklin
Philip Franklin Alexander, born September 15, 1929 in Cleveland, OH died in his Winnetka, IL home on June 12, 2021 at the age of 91. Phil survived his wife of 52 years, Ann Schweitzer Alexander, by 13 years and leaves behind 5 children and 12 grandchildren: Mark (Lori Wroble; James, Keighty & Emily), Mary (Ford Colley), Jane (Ryan, Alex, Jack & Frank), Katey (Bruce Fayman; Fritz, Flynn & Faith) and Amy Ryan (Geoff Fettus; Helen & Jane).
Phil graduated from Amherst in 1951 where he studied English and worked with Robert Frost as an advisor on his senior thesis. After Amherst, he followed his father’s footsteps into the Navy where he served on carriers and a destroyer in the Far East as part of the Korean conflict. Returning from Korea, he attended Harvard Business School (HBS) from which he graduated in 1957. In 1955, he was set up on a blind date with Ann Schweitzer while home in Cleveland. The two wed in December of 1956 and spent their early married years in Cambridge, MA while he completed business school and stayed on at HBS for one year as a Research Assistant. He then spent 12 years in three manufacturing positions and treasury jobs first in Rochester, NY and Holyoke, MA with the last at W.H.Brady Co. in Milwaukee, WI as Treasurer and Financial Vice President. During his time in manufacturing and frequent moves, Phil and Ann started the business of raising children; Mark, the oldest, was born in 1958 in Rochester and the youngest, Amy Ryan, in 1966 in Milwaukee.
In 1969, Phil joined A.G. Becker, an investment bank, as manager of the Accounting, Control and Planning Department. That move also led Phil and family to the house on Chatfield Road in Winnetka, where they stayed for more than 40 years. He worked at Becker for 7 years, leaving as Vice President and Controller of the Becker and Warburg-Paribas Group. Phil left Becker in 1976 to join John Nuveen and Company, leaving in 1986 as the Chief Operating Officer. After Nuveen, Phil did consulting and teaching work before retiring in 1993. He earned a Master’s degree in English at Loyola of Chicago, taking classes over the course of almost a decade, first while still working and finishing his degree after retirement. He then did volunteer work for 13 years in Evanston helping people get social services and aid. Throughout his life but most especially in his retirement, Phil loved to read poetry, history, and fiction. He also wrote poems and essays which he would assiduously draft and redraft, working on them in a local poetry group and sharing them with his children. He read the New York Times daily for more than 60 years, closely followed politics and loved opera, theater, and classical music.
Phil often said he would always remain loyal to three deeply flawed institutions: the Democratic
Party, the Chicago Cubs, and the Catholic Church. He was delighted to see President Trump defeated and thoroughly enjoyed the Cubs 2016 victory in the World Series. He was actively involved with Sacred Heart Parish, as a volunteer and steady member of
prayer groups, which even motivated him to try to use an iPad in the pandemic.
He will be greatly missed for his warmth and sense of humor, regularly saying things were “under advisement” when family social plans were unclear or his children gave him suggestions he’d be unlikely to follow.
A funeral mass will be held at Sacred Heart Church on Monday, August 2 at 11 a.m. immediately followed by a reception at the church. Divine Mercy at Sacred Heart Parish is located at 1077 Tower Rd, Winnetka, IL 60093.
No flowers, please. In lieu of flowers, consider making a donation to Thresholds (Thresholds.org) which provides services and resources for persons with serious mental illnesses and substance use disorders in Illinois. Thresholds works with many populations, including youth and young adults, veterans, young mothers, deaf, and individuals experiencing homelessness, among others.
Info: donnellanfuneral.com or 847-675-1990.
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