Phillip Richard Donaldson
Sunrise: July 11, 1940 - Sunset: December 23, 2025
Phillip Richard Donaldson was born to Richard Allen Donaldson and Lurline Griffin Donaldson on July 11, 1940, in Chicago, Illinois. Phillip was their much loved and only child. The Donaldson family moved to Racine, Wisconsin when Phil was 7 years old, and purchased a home, so Phil could attend schools in Wisconsin. He attended Stephen Bull Grammar School and Washington Park High School. While all of his buddies decided to attend the University of Wisconsin, Phil chose to attend the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Phillip majored in Sociology and History. During Phil's sophomore year, he had a retina detachment. There were only 2 places in the country that reattached retinas at the time: New York and Milwaukee. Dr. John Hitz performed the surgery at the Medical College of Wisconsin. Phil would lie in bed for a year with his head between 2 sandbags to stabilize his retina and his vision. He learned patience and true grit from the experience. Phil completed his education at Roosevelt University and graduated from the first class that marched from the Auditorium Theatre in 1969 when Roosevelt moved into the building. His love for Roosevelt only grew over the years.
Phil began his professional career in sales and marketing. He worked for Carson Pirie Scott as a buyer in the men's section, joined Berstein & Associates as a multi-million-dollar sales executive, and decided later in life to place long-term unemployed and people with various disabilities in gainful employment due to his empathy from laying in bed with his retina reattachment. Throughout this time Phil attended the 190 Program at The University of Chicago.
Phil met Joanne Howard through mutual friends when he worked for American Can. They were happily married for 41 glorious years. Due to their belief in zero population growth, they chose not to have children and instead worked tirelessly with Planned Parenthood for more than 35 years to ensure that people had the right to have large, small, or no families. Phil also served on the board of the Hyde Park Neighborhood Club and the Hyde Park YMCA when they were located on 53rd Street.
Phil was a Christian Scientist and he had a profound belief in God and the teachings of Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of Christian Science. Every day he recited the Scientific Statement of Being which is printed below.
The scientific statement of being
There is no life, truth, intelligence, nor substance in matter. All is infinite Mind and its infinite manifestation, for God is All-in-all. Spirit is immortal Truth; matter is mortal error. Spirit is the real and eternal; matter is the unreal and temporal. Spirit is God, and man is His image and likeness. Therefore, man is not material; he is spiritual.
From Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures
by Mary Baker Eddy, p. 468:9-15
Phil leaves to celebrate his life are his beloved wife, Joanne, sisters-in-law Diane Howard and Wanda Howard McCollum, brother-in-law John Howard, cousins Richard and Joy Donaldson (Simeon), June Donaldson, Christopher Gray, nieces and nephews, and a host of friends and colleagues.
Sunrise: July 11, 1940 - Sunset: December 23, 2025
Phillip Richard Donaldson was born to Richard Allen Donaldson and Lurline Griffin Donaldson on July 11, 1940, in Chicago, Illinois. Phillip was their much loved and only child. The Donaldson family moved to Racine, Wisconsin when Phil was 7 years old, and purchased a home, so Phil could attend schools in Wisconsin. He attended Stephen Bull Grammar School and Washington Park High School. While all of his buddies decided to attend the University of Wisconsin, Phil chose to attend the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Phillip majored in Sociology and History. During Phil's sophomore year, he had a retina detachment. There were only 2 places in the country that reattached retinas at the time: New York and Milwaukee. Dr. John Hitz performed the surgery at the Medical College of Wisconsin. Phil would lie in bed for a year with his head between 2 sandbags to stabilize his retina and his vision. He learned patience and true grit from the experience. Phil completed his education at Roosevelt University and graduated from the first class that marched from the Auditorium Theatre in 1969 when Roosevelt moved into the building. His love for Roosevelt only grew over the years.
Phil began his professional career in sales and marketing. He worked for Carson Pirie Scott as a buyer in the men's section, joined Berstein & Associates as a multi-million-dollar sales executive, and decided later in life to place long-term unemployed and people with various disabilities in gainful employment due to his empathy from laying in bed with his retina reattachment. Throughout this time Phil attended the 190 Program at The University of Chicago.
Phil met Joanne Howard through mutual friends when he worked for American Can. They were happily married for 41 glorious years. Due to their belief in zero population growth, they chose not to have children and instead worked tirelessly with Planned Parenthood for more than 35 years to ensure that people had the right to have large, small, or no families. Phil also served on the board of the Hyde Park Neighborhood Club and the Hyde Park YMCA when they were located on 53rd Street.
Phil was a Christian Scientist and he had a profound belief in God and the teachings of Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of Christian Science. Every day he recited the Scientific Statement of Being which is printed below.
The scientific statement of being
There is no life, truth, intelligence, nor substance in matter. All is infinite Mind and its infinite manifestation, for God is All-in-all. Spirit is immortal Truth; matter is mortal error. Spirit is the real and eternal; matter is the unreal and temporal. Spirit is God, and man is His image and likeness. Therefore, man is not material; he is spiritual.
From Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures
by Mary Baker Eddy, p. 468:9-15
Phil leaves to celebrate his life are his beloved wife, Joanne, sisters-in-law Diane Howard and Wanda Howard McCollum, brother-in-law John Howard, cousins Richard and Joy Donaldson (Simeon), June Donaldson, Christopher Gray, nieces and nephews, and a host of friends and colleagues.
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