Phillip Joseph Tufo Jr.

Phillip Joseph Tufo, Jr., a longtime resident of Soquel, passed away on April 7, 2025. He was 60 years old.
He was born on September 29, 1964, to his loving parents Phillip Joseph, Sr., and Emma Jean Tufo. Phillip has had the sweetest love for life for his 60½ years and has had such love for everyone in his life.
When Phillip was younger, he was very active, he swam, ran track, played basketball, danced, and bowled. He loved playing Yahtzee and 80's music. Our family had all our car radios tuned to 96.9 for him!
For years he was a participant in the Special Olympics and won many medals. Even with his very full life, he was an avid sports fan. He took his teams' wins very seriously, but he was always a good sport, saying "We will get them next time.", if they didn't win. "His teams" were the SF Giants, the SF 49ers, the Warriors, and the Sharks. He was remarkable with stats and would amaze all of us when he shared them.
Phillip grew up in Sunnyvale, CA., until he was 10, then our parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles all moved to Aptos, CA. He attended Rolling Hills Middle School, Aptos High School, and Cabrillo College. He then went on to work at Skills Center of Santa Cruz, Meals on Wheels, and more recently, ACE Hardware in Watsonville. After work, he would retire to HOPE Center in Aptos. He had amazing support from John, Matt, Les, Tracey, and Beacon Independent Living Services in Soquel, CA. "Phillie" as he was often called, touched many lives.
Phillip was loved and doted on by his 3 sisters and 7 girl cousins who were all very attentive to him. He had no need that was unmet. He was the heart of our family, and his absence leaves us with a void that can never be filled. We are all heartbroken but, as Phillip would say, it's a "good mood" day! There is no love like the one for a brother and no love like the one from a brother. Sweet Phillip, our hearts are broken to say goodbye. You were the best son, brother, uncle, nephew, and cousin anyone could ask for and we love you more than words can say. We Love You Phillip!
Phillip was loved by his sisters, Debbie Komm, Mary Sotomayor, and Gina Tufo, his nieces, Emmaly, Jenna, and Morgan, his nephews, Michael, Kenny, Steven, Max, and Danny, as well as his grandniece Autumn, his grandnephews, Colton, and Wyatt, and Baby Girl. He is now in the loving arms of our parents. May you find peace and comfort with Mom and Dad. We will carry your memory with us always and we will see you again someday. We Love You Forever!
A Celebration of Phillip's Life will be held at a future date, details to follow. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to:
Beacon Independent Living Services http://www.beacon@beaconils.com 4610 W. Walnut Street, #C Soquel, CA. 95073 (831) 477-1054
Hospice of Santa Cruz County http://www.hospicesantacruz.org 940 Disc Drive Scotts Valley, CA. 95066 (831) 430-3000