"I knew when the Christmas cards stopped coming that Phil had gone on. He was such a faithful correspondent and such a lovely man. I will miss him dearly."
In loving memory of
Philip H. Zeigler
January 15, 1931 - July 3, 2020
Philip H. Zeigler, 89, died unexpectedly at his Fairmount residence July 3, 2020.
Phil was born January 15, 1931, in York, Pennsylvania, son of the late Howard L. and Amanda Virginia (Young) Zeigler. Phil graduated from North York High School in 1949 and attended Millersville Teachers College. He proudly served in the Navy from 1951-1955 reaching the rank of 3rd Class Gunners Mate. After leaving the Navy, he was an optician for 41 years retiring in 1996. Many of his devoted patients, not wanting anyone else, would wait in line for him to fit their glasses. Phil was a huge James Dean fan. Moving to Fairmount 26 years ago after retiring, he became an active member of the Fairmount Museum, where he loved sharing his knowledge of James Dean with anyone that would listen. He was also a member of the American Legion Post 313 of Fairmount and Back Creek Friends Church. Phil hung on to his Pennsylvania roots by continuing to be an avid Pittsburg Pirate and Steelers Fan. He was proud of his 1950 Mercury Coupe. He loved building ship models to scale and had over 200 from the Civil War to Pearl Harbor periods. Phil was always ready with a great story or joke.
Surviving are two children; Mark (Dr. Robin Poe) Zeigler, Virginia Beach, VA and Audrey (Earl) Wilkins, Lambertville, NJ; five grandchildren, Alyssa Soto, Lindsey Legg, Stacy Jo Zeigler, Barry Brame, Jr. and Derek Zeigler; great-grandchildren, Noah Legg, Caleb Legg, Adriana Soto, Eric Zeigler, Emily Zeigler, Katelyn Zeigler, Riley Zeigler, Matthew Soto, and Jacob Legg; and nephews William and Thomas Shearstone.
Phil was preceded in death by his daughter, Valerie A. Ziegler, sister, Audrey Shearstone, and brother-in-law, William Shearstone.
Arrangements have been entrusted to the Fairmount Chapel of Armes-Hunt Funeral Home and Cremation Services, 415 S. Main Street, Fairmount, Indiana. Memorial Service celebrating Phils life will be Friday, July 10, 2020 at 11 AM at Back Creek Friends Church, 7560 S 150 E, Fairmount, IN.
Memorial Contributions may be made to Back Creek Friends Church.
Memories and condolences may be shared at www.armeshuntfuneralhome.com
Tributes
"I am so sorry to hear about Phil . He was so gracious taking us from the Fairmount museum to Marcus Winslow farm and showing us things which brought James Dean to life for my family rather than me always talking about JD . letting myself and my son sit in the Red car was brilliant . Rest in peace Phil and Thankyou from Michele and family in England "
"I am so sorry to hear of his passing . He took a family from England and graciously took us from the Fairmount museum to James dean ?s cousins farm and showed us things I would never have thought to see . My family were charmed to see James Dean brought to life not just me telling them my stories . My son in the red car in the garage. My hand in James Deans hand print in the barn .Rest in peace Phil and Thankyou from Michele . uK"
" I interviewed Phil a couple of years ago for a multimedia project I shot on James Dean. He was incredibly kind and gracious. I got the complete VIP treatment. Phil showed me everything from the barn where JD used to shoot hoops to the car he drove to his junior prom. I?ll never forget how much he laughed watching me freak out behind the wheel of that old Ford (one of the coolest moments of my life). ? Phil was a kindred spirit. I still have the tape-recordings of the two of us geeking out over Hollywood. ? What a wonderful man. Rest peacefully, my friend. "
"Phil drove Marella-Lea and me all around Fairmount viewing Deaner sites and taking in the atmosphere of such a friendly, small town in the middle of the USA in May of 2018. He was such a gentleman and so welcoming. Through his eyes and the other friends we made in Fairmount, he gave us lasting memories of the USA. If any of Phil's relatives or my friends in Fairmount ever get to come to Australia please let me know to return the hospitality. I am 'Erica Blair' on Facebook. My heartfelt condolences go to all of Phil's family and friends in the days to come. Stay Safe everyone,Best wishes,Patricia Lee (Patti)"
"Phil was a wonderful man & I always enjoyed the times I got to work with him at the Museum! His knowledge of Jimmy was so amazing & I always learned something new when I was around Phil. He quickly became a big part of our little town & it is so sad to know he is gone! I will miss his wonderful smile & his chipper attitude! What a reunion in heaven with Phil, Jimmy & Cole; oh the stories being told! I am praying for Phil's family & I will truly miss Phil!"
"Totally wonderful man who made my trip to Fairmount from the UK back in 2006 totally fantastic. I sat in Jimmy's car and he got the museum open for me and ntroduced me to Marcus and Marylou Winslow at the farm. I will never forget that trip. Trip of a lifetime and Phil made that happen. Rest in peace you wonderful kind man. Xx"
"We met Phil in october 2014 in the Fairmount Historical Museum in Fairmount, Indiana. We are from the Netherlands and were doing a roundtrip through North-East USA. I (Esmeralda) am a big James Dean fan. So we decided to visit Fairmount during our roundtrip. Phil was very nice to us and showed us around the museum. He also brought us to the grave of Jimmy. He told us that he had reserved a spot on the hill by the tree for when he dies so he could have the best view on the cemetary. (We hope that wish came true) He then brought us to the farm of the Winslow Family. He showed us around and told us beautiful and funny stories. We also sat with him and Marcus jr in the garage and talked for over an hour about everything and nothing. We really loved the time we spend there. He was the nicest person we've met. Rest in peace Phil... yours sincerely Esmeralda and Edwin from Barendrecht, The Netherlands"
"Our thoughts and prayers are with you in the loss of Phil. It was a pleasure in knowing him all these years he was with us in Fairmount."
"My Son and I met Phill back in October 2015. My son is a huge James Dean fan and on our way home from a wedding in Chicago, we stopped in Fairmount to see James Deans Hometown and visit the gallery. While there, someone asked who owned the car out front with the Pennsylvania plate. It was Phil. We had a nice conversation and he invited us to follow him and see James Deans boyhood home. My son was thrilled. He then took us to a garage with all of these classic cars in it and introduced us to James Deans uncle...I believe thats who it was. He told me how he was from Pennsylvania. I knew he was a pirate and Steelers fan by the time we left there. What a great memory we have of that day. We exchanged numbers and addresses and have continued to send Christmas cards since that year. We even send him some pirate T-shirts and steel or paraphernalia because he was so nice to us that day.My son and I always meant to make it back there to see Phil again. I was so saddened to hear that he had passed. He was that type of person. He made you feel comfortable and was very easy to talk to. My son and I would like to extend our heartfelt sympathy to the family. I hope Phil is reunited with his daughter, and hanging out with his favorite idol. Rest in peace friend.With sympathy,Joann and Dan McFarland"
"I worked with Phil at the historical museum...He so love to whistle or sing....usually "My Bonnie"He always had a good joke and a smile. And oh the stories!! No day was just quite right without Phil. May you rest in peace. God bless his family. Much love"
"Your laughYour smile Wonderful storytellerWorlds greatest DeanerNow in HeavenWhat a Legend!MLR Australia"
"Thanks for all the memories, Phil! You were an absolute joy to be around. I will miss hearing your stories. Fairmount wont be the same without you. Rest In Peace."
"He Was A Great Man"
"I will miss you my friend. So many good memories with you."
"Dear Philip, our very dear friend, our Best Man, we are heartbroken. We shared so many times together (that usually included food). You graciously brought your 50 Merc to the Class of 49's 70th High School Reunion, we shared an Honor Flight to Washington D.C last September and we joked about the scuttle we'd cause if others knew we all shared the same hotel room. You had a wonderful and unique sense of humor! You were humble and fair, and we loved our talks with you. Friends like you come along rarely in life and we will always be grateful to have known you. Your presence will always be with us. We will love you forever."