John Reagan Philips

John Reagan Philips Tender Soul Born August 2, 1986, a tender and gentle soul, John Reagan Philips, died of a heroin overdose November 3, 2005. John was adopted by Jean Ford Reagan and Peter Woodward Philips on August 21, 1986. John's adopted sister, Jane Reagan Philips came into the family on March 16, 1988. John and his family lived by Liberty Park. John went to the Community Cooperative Nursery School for three years. Kindergarten through sixth grade John went to the Open Classroom located at Washington Elementary School. John attended Clayton for middle school and the City Academy for high school (except his sophomore year when he attended East High School). John spent much of his summers in the Grand Teton National Park sharing time in Lupine Meadows with Paul Kimbrough and his ranger-parents Tom Kimbrough and Barb Eastman. John was especially at home in the outdoors. He was a natural climber, an instinctive fisher, an agile and daring skier and a child with eyes for nature. Once Paul and John were fishing in the Winds and John headed back to camp only to be stalked by a bear. John determined it was a black bear and shouted to chase it away. The bear turned tail only to head straight for Paul turning aside at the last moment. John had a deeply loving and close relationship with his sister. Every day she felt lucky to have him as her brother, her guide, her hero. They almost never fought. They were close in age and played together with exploration and joy. He helped her catch her first fish on a fly pole at Lake Solitude in the Tetons. He held her hand through life. John and his mother Jean were two peas in a pod. Considerate and empathic, never competitive, John and Jean were equally and similarly liked by all for their consideration, kindness and love. As a young child, John did not like to be separate from his parents. He did not like day care. He didn't even like to be left in the car while you went in to pay for gas. His mother quit her job at the phone company when John was three in order to be a full time mother and the connection between John and his mom was deep and intimate. John and his father Peter explored the outdoors together. They fished and hiked and camped. John was born with a deformed lower vertebra. When John was nine, he and his father traveled around the country consulting with physicians about surgery for this condition. Eventually the surgery was done locally at the Primary Children's hospital, and it was remarkably successful preserving John from pain for the rest of his short life. In eighth grade John met a special girl, Jessica. They shared a special love that grew for the next five years. Jessica and John lived in the Tetons with John's father who had become a park ranger and Jessica lived with us as part of the family. For reasons we do not understand, starting in eighth grade John started getting involved with drugs, mostly marijuana. He worked with his parents and his family and Jessica to control or resist this involvement but he also gave into it as well. By 11th grade things started getting more serious first with alcohol and then with heroin. Heroin stole John first from his family, then from his friends, then from all who loved him. Early Thursday morning, heroin stole John from himself. Our hearts go out to all that loved John including his birth parents. We are so sorry. When John was little, he did not want his father to leave for the University to give his lectures. But knowing dad would go, John would plead "Don't forget to talk about me!" We never will. Friends may gather to remember John at City Academy, 2416 E. 1700 S., (801-596-8489), Sat. Nov. 5th, at 4 p.m. A potluck will follow. The family wishes donations in John's memory to be made to "City Academy" via any Wells Fargo Bank.