Dr. Philip Holtzapple

Despite our father’s express wishes that he receive no special attention, his “insubordinate daughters” share the sad news that Philip G. Holtzapple passed away on September 29, 2025. Dad’s presence ripples through the Syracuse community and well beyond given his caring work as a physician, teacher, and mentor touching the lives of many. He was an Emeritus Professor of Medicine at Upstate Medical University, and dedicated himself to the work and people of the Department of Gastroenterology. 

We were lucky to learn much about the world from the students and colleagues who shared meals at our home. Dad revealed that at one point, he wanted to become a farmer, like his grandparents, who lived just behind Little Round Top in Gettysburg. He remembered making root beer and scrapple during summers spent with them. He spoke fondly of his student days at Hempfield High School and Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, PA, and living in West Philadelphia while studying medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. 

Dad began his career at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia before moving to Upstate in 1978. Places he loved include Berlin, Germany, where he spent a year in 1959, the Silver Bay YMCA on Lake George and the Adirondack mountains, beaches at the Jersey Shore and Nantucket Island, and Oneida Lake. His wife, Della Mae Wilson, was the love of his life and they shared a passion for music. He adored her even (or especially) when she played the piano loudly. His grandchildren remember that he was “goofy, kind-hearted, and just really good to be around.” He loved them immensely and they miss him terribly. It is impossible to describe here how much he taught us as his daughters, or how much his love means to us. 

Our hearts are full as he showed us how to move through the world finding wonder every day. Dad is survived by his wife of 64 years, Della Mae Wilson; his daughter Ali Holtzapple, her sons Odi and Wylie, and their father Todd Cridge; his daughter Gretchen Holtzapple Bender, son-in-law Jon Bender, and their children, Sam (Karen Lue), Juniper, and Caleb; and his brother and his wife, John and Nancy Holtzapple. 

Please don’t send flowers. The cats will just eat them. If you wish to make a gift in his memory, please consider On Point for College, the Food Bank of Central New York, the Adirondack Mountain Club, or the United Way of Central New York. Also, we cannot express enough our gratitude to the amazing people of Francis House for the love and care they gave to Dad over the past several months. It was a special place where he made his last friendships, taught his last students, and told his last jokes.