Philip Herbert Schervish Jr.

Philip Herbert Schervish, Jr., 74, became one with Spirit on Saturday, June 10, 2023, following a fall that resulted in a brain hemorrhage.
Phil was born in Detroit, Michigan to the late Philip H. Sr. and Martha Schervish. He devoted his life to serving others and the pursuit of social justice. He made the best hummus ever.
His early life included being a four-letter athlete in high school and turning down an offer from the Detroit Tigers to pursue college football. From there, he turned to motocross and stock cars (becoming a life-long NASCAR fan!)
While at a college student retreat at John XXIII Center in Hartford City, IN, he met the love of his life, Peg. They quickly fell in love and were married on June 12, 1971. They went on together to build a family of two daughters and a community of chosen family that continued to grow until his last days. He was an amazing father who coached the girls' field hockey, spearheaded science fair projects and joyfully prioritized being present and attentive to his kids and their friends. In the last ten years, his greatest joy was his three grandchildren and anyone who met him would hear about them.
Phil was proud to be a Social Worker and educator. He served as a college professor at the University of Illinois, where he received his Doctorate in Social Work, IUPUI, and Catholic University where he ran the National Catholic Center for Social Justice, wrote the seminal book on the social work labor force, and was invited to Moscow, Russia to help them found the profession of social work in 1990, soon after the fall of the USSR. He was tenured at Howard University. Taking the position as the Dean of the School of Social Work at Spalding University brought him to Kentucky. He ended his career winning millions of dollars in grants for cancer prevention and treatment for underserved communities at the Norton Center for Prevention and Wellness.
Deeply rooted in Catholic Social Justice teachings and radicalized by Vatican II, Phil trained conscientious objectors to the war in Vietnam and was written up in the Wall Street Journal for his work leading his faith community at St. Thomas Aquinas, Indianapolis in anti-war tax resistance. Phil was on the Boards of the local and national Fellowship of Reconciliation. His life was profoundly influenced by participating in a delegation to Palestine with Interfaith PeaceBuilders. His last physical social justice action was taking a citation for an elder sit-in on KY Attorney General Daniel Cameron's lawn as part of the Black Lives Matter/Breonna Taylor movement uprising in Louisville during the summer of 2020. Wherever he and Peg lived, they built or joined intentional spiritual community. He was an active member of St. William Catholic Community for the last 20 years.
He confronted life-long chronic pain and was eventually diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease, which he faced head-on with the help of TKO Parkinson's and the Movers and Shakers. He was open about his healing from severe depression as a mid-life adult and the spiritual journey he was on. Now, he is at peace.
Survivors include his wife of 52 years, Peg Levasseur Schervish; daughters, Anice Schervish Chenault (Reece) and Katie Schervish Jordan (David); grandchildren, Justice, Robby, and Sophia; siblings, Marianne Kiefer (John) and Michael Schervish (Lynette); in-laws Kevin (Barbara) Levasseur, Mimi (Steve) Krueckeberg, Judy (Mark) McClellan and numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, and chosen family.
Memorial visitation will be held 4-8 p.m. Friday, June 16, 2023, at Ratterman and Sons, 3800 Bardstown Road. His Funeral Mass will be celebrated 10 a.m. Saturday at St. William Catholic Community 1226 W. Oak St. (Dress light, there's no A/C!) There will be a gathering following the funeral at the Cornell Trace clubhouse, 9729 Cornell Trace Rd. The funeral mass can also be accessed online at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82253608472 StWilliam is the password 822 5360 8472 is the Meeting ID.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to TKO Parkinson's www.tkoparkinsons.com or 2828 Klondike Lane, Louisville, KY 40218 or to the St. William chapter of St. Vincent DePaul (checks payable to St. William 1226 W Oak St, Louisville, KY 40210). Phil's family also wishes to express deep gratitude to the Norton Brownsboro Hospital staff and the staff at The Willows Rehab Center. Online condolences may be shared at www.Ratterman.com