Philip Blackburn Weymouth Jr.

1935 - 2018

Philip Blackburn Weymouth, Jr.

Montchanin, Del. - Philip Blackburn Weymouth, Jr., 82, of Montchanin, Delaware died peacefully at Christiana Hospital on February 14th, 2018, surrounded by members of his immediate family.

Born in 1935 in Philadelphia, PA, he was raised in the historic town of New Castle, DE and on the family farm in Hockessin, DE. He attended Conrad High School, graduated from Deerfield Academy in 1953 and received a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering degree from Yale University in 1957, where he was a member of Fence Club. Following graduation from Officer Candidate School in Newport, RI in 1958, he served for three years in the U.S. Navy as Chief Engineer and Acting Executive Officer aboard the destroyer U.S.S. Agerholm (DD826) in the Pacific Fleet. Upon leaving the Navy, Mr. Weymouth joined his father's insurance agency, Weymouth & Smith, in 1961 and attended the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania where he received his Chartered Property & Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) designation in 1964. He became a partner in 1967, President in 1970 and continued to work for the successor firm, Weymouth Swayze & Corroon, until his death. He was an active industry speaker, member of the Personal Lines Interest Group Committee of the CPCU Society Board and built his firm into one of the top Chubb producers in the Mid-Atlantic Region.

Mr. Weymouth had a profound sense of civic duty and giving back to the community. A central theme for him was Education and he served on numerous boards in the sector. He was a member of the Executive Committee of the Alumni Association and a trustee of Deerfield Academy; a member of the Yale Development Board; a council member of The Music School of Delaware; and a board member of Americans for the Competitive Enterprise System. He served as a trustee of the board of The Tatnall School for decades and was the first recipient of the Alletta Laird Downs Philanthropy Award. Finally, he was a board member and Chairman Emeritus of the Delaware Museum of Natural History, an institution for which he held great pride.

He was a passionate pilot with multiple ratings, thousands of hours as PIC and a perfect flying record. He was inducted into the fraternity of Quiet Birdmen in 1970 and held all of the positions of responsibility of the Wilmington Hangar throughout his tenure. In addition, he was an avid sportsman with quail and dove hunting and Atlantic salmon angling topping his favorite pursuits. He also loved to play golf and was a member of Bidermann Golf Club, Fishers Island Club, Hay Harbor Club, Mill Reef Club and Spring Island Club. He also was a member of the Vicmead Hunt Club, Wilmington Club, Aurora Gun Club, Winterthur Fire Company, Fishers Island Yacht Club, Chechessee Creek Club, Society of Colonial Wars and FIOA.

Mr. Weymouth's greatest source of joy and pride was his family. He is pre-deceased by his parents, Philip Blackburn Weymouth and Martha (Machold) Weymouth, and his youngest brother Anthony Eaton Weymouth. He is survived by his wife of 53 years Natalie Margaret (Riegel) Weymouth; his son Philip Blackburn Weymouth III and his wife Elizabeth Katherine (Kirk) Weymouth and their three sons, Philip Riegel Weymouth, Henry Carter Weymouth and James Blackburn Weymouth; his daughter Natalie Machold (Weymouth) Keenan and her husband Benjamin Wilson Keenan and their two daughters, Lucinda Weymouth Keenan and Natalie Halliday Keenan; his son Timothy Bell Weymouth and his wife Dr. Katharine Weston (Lopez) Weymouth and their two children John MacLaren Weymouth and Margaret Eveland Weymouth; and his brother Charles Machold Weymouth. He was a direct descendent of Captain George Weymouth who by historical accounts was the first to plant a British flag in North America and discovered Monhegan Island in Maine in the early 1600s. The North American (or Eastern) White Pine was named the Weymouth Pine for Captain Weymouth's contributions to early British exploration and the tree was often used as the stalwart mast of the British, and later U.S., Navy.

A celebration of Philip's life will take place on Saturday, February 24th at 11:00 am in the Soda House (Buck Road entrance) at the Hagley Museum following a private interment at a family cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Delaware Museum of Natural History, 4840 Kennett Pike, P.O. Box 3937, Wilmington, DE 19807; The Tatnall School (for Weymouth Field), 1501 Barley Mill Road, Wilmington, DE 19807; or The Music School of Delaware, 4101 Washington Street, Wilmington, DE 19802.

For online condolences please visit chandlerfuneralhome.com