Phillip (Racer Phil) Paul Alspach
WORTHINGTON - Born November 7, 1937 in Columbus to Mae (Kupstas) and Paul Alspach. Crossed the finish line November 22, 2023 at home in Worthington at age 86. Phil graduated from Upper Arlington High School, class of ‘55, and from The Ohio State University in 1960 where he was a member of Phi Kappa Tau Fraternity.
He was a VERY active member of the Ohio Valley Region of the Sports Car Club of America for over 50 years, competing in club road racing (TCR Group) and autocrosses. For years he served on the Board of Directors of OVR. He also held various officer positions within the club, including Treasurer, Membership, Solo and Race Chair. He participated in races at Mid-ohio, Road Atlanta, and Nelson Ledges and various tracks around the Great Lakes and Northeast Division.
Phil worked as a project development engineer for 25 years at Anchor Hocking Glass in Lancaster where he lived for over 20 years. His interests were wide: all things car, movies, photography, books, music, and history. He loved to travel and made many trips to the national parks in the west and to the Outer Banks. He documented everything he did with thousands of photos, videos and detailed written accounts. He was a collector of decorative glass, shells, rocks and racing trophies. His house was a museum!
He was preceded in death by his parents and his daughter-in-law Lisa Deyton Alspach. He is survived by his sons Stephen and Jeffrey and his granddaughters Jewell and Jenna Alspach, all of the Atlanta area, his sister Chris (Bill) Nixon of Upper Arlington, his nephew Andrew (Marie) of Columbus and niece Noelle Nixon (Anthony) Piziali of Verdi, NV. He is also survived by his first cousin Donn Alspach of Granville and many cousins in the East. He leaves behind his beloved cat Zooey.
Phil survived 14 years after being diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2009. The family is thankful for the loving care given to him by Dr. Konda and the staff of the James Cancer Clinic, the caretakers of Capital City Hospice and to the community services in Central Ohio that supplied his nutritional and medical needs. We are grateful for the help and love from his very special friend Jude Summers and his many caring friends who were there to assist him until the end of the race.
Please consider remembering Phil by donating to the James Cancer Clinic (cancer.osu.edu), Capital City Hospice (capitalcityhospice.com) or any Central Ohio social service that serves the sick and elderly.
A small memorial will be held in August for friends and family.