Philip Wilder Polgreen

Mr. Philip (Phil) Wilder Polgreen passed peacefully in the evening of Sunday, December 21st, 2025 at the Oaknoll Retirement Residence.

Phil was born on November 16, 1928 in Berwind, West Virginia, a small coal-mining company town. His father was a chemical engineer and his mother was an artist, both originally from upstate New York. Phil was the third child of four, with two sisters and one brother. Early in his youth, his family moved to Evanston, Illinois and then to Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he graduated from Washburn High School in 1946.

Following high school Phil attended Cornell College in Mt. Vernon, Iowa, where he met his future wife, Ruth Roloff. After college graduation in 1950, he moved to St. Louis, MO, for graduate studies at Washington University where we obtained an MBA. However, after the Korean War started, he enlisted in the U.S. Airforce and served as a jet fighter pilot in Japan and Korea, achieving the rank of Captain. While in the Air Force, he married Ruth Roloff on Valentine's Day 1955. After leaving active duty, Phil continued to serve as a pilot in the Air National Guard.

Following his Air Force career, Phil completed his education by attending law school at night while working full time. He graduated from The University of San Francisco and was admitted as a member of the State Bar of California. Phil started working early and had jobs ranging from fighting forest fires in the Rockies to working as a bell hop at Glacial National Park. During and after law school he worked in the fields of human and labour relations at Monsanto and Rexall Drug, but the vast majority of his career was at the Sundstrand Corporation (now part of Collins Aerospace) where he retired as the corporate vice president of personnel and public relations in 1991.

Following retirement Phil travelled extensively with his wife Ruth and especially enjoyed visiting his family. Phil was a wonderful husband, father, and grandfather. Phil is survived by Ruth, his loving wife of over 70 years, his daughter, Evelyn Jenkyns (and her husband, Hugh) and granddaughter, Marion who all live in England. He is also survived by his son, Philip Polgreen (and his wife Linnea) and grandson, Andrew, and granddaughters, Vivian and Lillian who live in Iowa City, Iowa. Phil was preceded in death by his parents Kenneth and Frances, his sisters Ruth and Jane and brother Richard.

Per Phil's wishes, private family services have been held.