Philip George Leigh

1936 - 2023

PHILIP GEORGE LEIGH February 10, 1936 to March 11, 2023
Phil Leigh of Tampa, Fla., passed away peacefully on March 11, 2023, following a recent stroke. Phil was born in Atlantic City, N.J., to parents Philip James Vallentin Leigh and Elsie Mae Lloyd Leigh. He graduated from Pleasantville High School in 1953 and Lehigh University in 1957 with a degree in metallurgical engineering. While at Lehigh, Phil played football and was a member of Sigma Nu. He married his high school sweetheart, Patricia Caven, in 1957; they were happily married for 55 years, until her passing in 2012. While in the Army Reserves, he went through parachute training, and enjoyed parachuting for many years after the Army. They raised their five children in Huntington, W.Va., where he worked at the International Nickel Company. In Huntington, they were active members of St. John's Episcopal Church and fans of Marshall University football and basketball. He then worked for five years at Green River Steel in Owensboro, Ky.
Phil and Pat retired to a lake house on beautiful Lake Hartwell, in Anderson, S.C. There they enjoyed boating, gardening, and entertaining visiting family and friends. Upon retiring he repurposed his many neckties as ties to stake his tomatoes, creating the best dressed garden in Anderson. His pastimes included home brewing beer, wine making, and volunteering for Meals on Wheels. They were active members of Grace Episcopal Church. Phil could become an instant regular at any place he visited, including neighborhood bars in New Orleans at his regular trips to the Jazz Festival. He was his wife Pat's primary caregiver as she suffered from Alzheimer's in her final years.
Phil is survived by two sisters-in-law, Mary Lou Leigh and Judy Caven; his brother-in-law, Robert Earle; his five children, Philip Leigh (Theresa), Steven Leigh, Valerie Larsen (Brad), Karen Leigh, and Lorraine Lutton (Andrew); grandchildren Philip Garrett, Devin, Key Wren, Ethan, Katherine, Olivia, Nicholas, William, Alexandra, Cameron, and Matthew; and great-grandchildren Coraline and Theodore and daughter-in-law, Mari.
In addition to his parents and wife Pat, Phil is predeceased by his brother Richard Earl Leigh, sister Barbara Leigh Earle and brother-in-law Dr. Robert Emerson Caven.
A funeral service will be held Saturday, March 25 at 1 p.m. at Grace Episcopal Church in Anderson, S.C. In lieu of flowers, we ask that donations be made to your local Meals On Wheels, Grace Episcopal Church or a charity of your choice.