Philip Howard Dutter

1926 - 2016

Dutter, Philip Howard
Philip Dutter, 90, a resident of Greenwich for 56 years, passed away peacefully at The Village at Waveny in New Canaan on July 18, 2016. He touched the lives of all who had the good fortune of knowing his kind and generous spirit, his keen intellect, his dry sense of humor and, most of all, his boundless love for his family and friends.
Phil was born on January 11, 1926, in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, the first of two sons of Homer Dutter and Irma Shordon Dutter. He grew up in nearby Coleraine, Minnesota, where his father served as Superintendent of Schools for 20 years. He had an idyllic small-town upbringing, surrounded by close friends and characterized by outstanding academic and athletic achievements. He was Valedictorian of his high school class in 1943; he was captain of the undefeated football team; he won the Minnesota State Debate Championship and he was selected as winner of the American Legion Medal for excellence in scholarship and athletics. Upon his graduation from Greenway High School, he was awarded an academic scholarship from Northwestern University as well as the Minneapolis Star-Journal's first carrier-salesman scholarship.
Phil attended Northwestern for a year before serving in the United States Navy as an Electronic Technician's Mate on the USS Troilus in the Pacific Ocean. Following the conclusion of World War II, he completed his studies at Northwestern in two years, earning a BS degree with honors from the School of Speech.
After graduation, Phil worked for the Lincoln National Life Insurance Company in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. He met his future wife Billie Ann Marquart in Ft. Wayne in 1949, and they were married in Huntington, Indiana in 1950. Shortly thereafter they moved to New York City, where Billie supported Phil while he attended the NYU School of Business, from which he earned his MBA degree in 1951. After working for Lever Brothers and Lederle Laboratories in various international human resources positions, Phil joined McKinsey & Company as a Management Consultant in 1957. For the next 30 years, Phil contributed significantly to the growth of McKinsey as one of the preeminent consulting firms, with a focus on building its insurance industry practice. Following his retirement from McKinsey in 1986, he served with distinction for many years on the Board of Directors of the Cologne Reinsurance Company and the Guardian Life Insurance Company.
Phil was a devoted and adoring husband, father and grandfather. His wife Billie passed away in October 2013. He leaves behind his son Gordon and his wife Anna of Canadice, NY; his son Andrew and his wife Amy of Fairfield, CT and his three grandchildren, Timothy, Jeffrey and Kyle of Fairfield, CT.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Kids in Crisis at http://www.kidsincrisis.org/ or 203-622-6556.