Philip Fialer

Philip Fialer

A Life Well-lived

He was the consummate Renaissance man. Although he earned a bachelor's ('60), master's ('64) and doctorate ('70) from Stanford University in electrical engineering, Phil Fialer was also a gourmet cook, voracious reader with eclectic tastes, skier, and lover of folk musicians like Joan Baez and John Denver.

Born of a French mother (Elyse) and American father (Harry) on November 6, 1938, in San Francisco, Phil was taught from an early age to appreciate the arts even though he also excelled in math and science. In 1956, he graduated from the prestigious St. Ignatius High School in San Francisco and embarked on a life-long love affair with learning. While at Stanford, he was a DJ on the campus radio station and even helped invent a computer matching dating service called Happy Families. Phil and the co-inventor were interviewed on Valentine's Day in 2013 about this very early precursor to match.com. A true bon vivant who was greatly influenced by his mother's own zest for life, Phil played the guitar, had an uncanny memory for song lyrics (and loved to sing them), looked forward to Stanford homecoming events and occasionally football games, and enjoyed travelling to places like Kona Village in Hawaii or cruising to Alaska. He encouraged his children to ask questions and joined them on quests to "figure it out" when they needed answers. Brilliant, but self-effacing, Phil did sound and lighting for his daughters' elementary, middle and high school theatrical performances, worked for Lockheed and SRI and, with four others, founded Mirage Systems—a company known for its ground-penetrating radar designed to locate land mines.

At Mirage, his humility, cheerful disposition and technical expertise endeared him to many employees who often spoke about his impact on their personal lives and careers. Phil was pre-deceased by his parents and only brother, Harry. He loved his family and will be sorely missed by his devoted wife, Sue; three daughters (Michele, Melissa, and Shannon); son-in-law, James; two nieces, and a host of other relatives and friends.  The man who relished "puttering around" passed away peacefully in his sleep on December 27 and will long be remembered by many. A private encryptment was held at Alta Mesa Memorial Park in Palo Alto and a celebration of Phil's life will take place in June of this year at the same locale.