Philip Thomas Wolter

Philip Thomas Wolter, 76, of Nashville, IN tragically passed away on December 2, 2024 in a single-car accident due to poor road conditions.
Phil was born May 26, 1948 and lived almost his entire life in Evansville, Indiana. The son of Agnes (Lythgoe) and Vinton Wolter, he was the second of four brothers. He grew up with dogs, chickens, and a pig named Curly, went to Holy Rosary School, and graduated from Harrison High School in 1966.
Phil was drafted by the U.S. Army in 1968 and earned a Purple Heart for his service in Vietnam. He was honorably discharged in 1970 and went on to get his degree in Art at the University of Southern Indiana (formerly ISUE). He soon went to work as an artist at Evansville Mesker Zoo, where he painted many of the animal habitat landscapes that were enjoyed by thousands of visitors for decades.
Shortly thereafter, he found his way to a position as the art therapist at the Evansville State Hospital, where he worked for 14 years. He received awards for various art programs he created for the patients, including a series of large-scale airbrushed murals of celebrity portraits that decorated the facilities. He also coached various teams in the Special Olympics, and worked on Phantom Theatre, a haunted house created as a fundraiser for the hospital.
This was Phil's introduction to the haunted attraction business, which became a passion that lasted 45 years. After Phantom Theatre, he owned and operated The Old Jail, Meat Market, The Blair Witch Woods, as well as the Olde Courthouse Catacombs and The House of Lecter.
Phil was a sports fanatic. He grew up fishing and hunting, and in addition to playing high school football and track & field, he biked for a winning USI intramural cycling team, played on nationally-ranked travel softball teams (as well as with the Wednesday night Wessleman's crew), and competed at the National Championship Senior Games in the 40+ division of pole vaulting in the 1990s. He could give you stats on any game he ever played in or watched, coached as many sports as he played, and was also a golfer, and a champion cornhole player.
He met the love of his life, Donna (Dooley), at Funky's and they danced, laughed, and adventured their way through 42 years of marriage. In 1984 they moved to Darmstadt, IN where they raised their two daughters, Lori and Danielle. Phil fiercely loved, championed, and coached them both, and loved their spouses, David Hudson and Kate Nolan, respectively, as if they were his own kids. Phil and Donna lived on the north side of Evansville until one month ago, when they moved to Nashville, IN to be closer to family, and oversee Phil's latest endeavor, The Olde Bartley House, a coffee & donut shop that he opened in June of 2024. Perhaps Phil and Donna's greatest adventure of all was becoming Nonni and Papaw to their adored grandchildren, Isabel (9) & Bridget (6) Hudson, and Asher (5) & Knox (3) Nolan.
So many remain who will never forget Phil, including his brother, David and his wife Vanessa, as well as his nieces and nephews, Brendan Dooley & Claire Lighthizer, Rochelle & Chris Perrino, Maureen & Catrina Dooley, Hannah & Jordan Shoulders, Ryan & Sophie Wolter, Jamin O'Brien, Meghan & Ajay Kaul, Kate & Maddeline O'Brien, as well as their children. There are also countless friends, extended family, haunted house workers, and colleagues that thought of him as their very own "Father Phil".
Phil had a magnetic energy and zest for life most people never fully realize. He loved a good story, practical joke, and making sure everything he touched had a "wow" factor. He was an artist, an entertainer, and an entrepreneur. He worked hard, played hard, and never met a stranger.
A Celebration of Life will take place on Saturday, December 14th from 11am-3pm at Ziemer Funeral Home, East Chapel (800 S Hebron Ave Evansville, IN 47714). Brief remarks will begin at 2pm. We kindly request no flowers, but would much prefer you share your favorite Phil story with our family in person or online at ziemerfuneralhome.com. If you would like to make a memorial donation in Phil's name, please consider giving to the Evansville Rescue Mission,1101 Washington Square, Evansville, IN 47715 or Special Olympics Indiana, 6200 Technology Center Drive, Suite 105, Indianapolis, IN 46278.
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