Our Obituaries

Knight-Auchmoody Funeral Home

Tuesday, May 09, 2017

 

PHILIP DONOVAN CHASE, PORT JERVIS, NEW YORK

Philip Donovan Chase, 85, of Port Jervis, NY died Tuesday, May 9, 2017. The son of the late Alvin D Chase and Ruth Wiggin Chase, he was born July 31, 1931 in Port Jervis, NY. His father was a Port Jervis high school science teacher and renowned athletic coach, and his influence inspired Philip to win high school athletic recognition on DUSO league championship teams where he quarterbacked the football team, pitched for baseball and also lettered in basketball. He was already showing his community spirit, and represented his classmates as senior class president, graduating from Port Jervis High School in 1950. Phil continued his athletic career in college, quarterbacking and kicking for Cornell University’s Sprint football team. He earned a Bachelor’s degree from Cornell, graduating with honors in 1954, and while there met his future wife, the late Merle Root Chase. They married on June 23, 1956, subsequently enjoying forty-seven anniversaries. After several years of ROTC commissioned service for the US Army Corps of Engineering, Phil returned with his family to the Port Jervis area, starting his teaching career at Warwick, NY for two years before transitioning to the Port Jervis school district for 29 years where he chaired the science department, taught high school sciences and coached many successful athletic teams. Phil loved the Port Jervis community and was active serving it throughout his adult life. He and Merle lovingly raised five children in the area. Phil was inducted into the inaugural Port Jervis School District Alumni Hall of Fame. At Port Jervis, Phil coached many sports including football, baseball, wrestling and golf, while never experiencing a losing season. His modified wrestling team once won 63 straight matches, and provided a very successful feeder system for the high school program. His golf teams once had a streak of 35 straight wins and a 54-1 run including County and Section 9 championships. After retirement, Phil stayed active with golf, marshaling for close to 19 years of NYS Golf Association tournaments, and four US Open golf tournaments. Locally, he was the president of the Hudson River Golf Association for 13 years. He also served as the chairman of the NYS Golf Association for the Hudson Valley Boys and Juniors Qualifier, and for many years co-chaired administration of the annual PJ/DV HS Golf Alumni Tournament. Phil himself was an accomplished golfer, winning numerous tournaments, including the NY state senior championship. Phil was an avid outdoorsman and enjoyed flyfishing and hunting with friends, nephews and cousins, and was an active member of many fishing and hunting organizations. He became a champion for environmental causes, particularly battling to protect the river systems of the Catskills for future generations. Starting in 1965, teaming with wife Merle’s editing and organizational skills, Phil wrote an Outdoors column for the Times Herald Record for 13 years. This served as a launching pad disseminating information for many conservation causes, including battling against Pumped Storage for Storm King Mountain which would have devastated local fish populations, and helping to successfully stop the Tocks Island Dam, allowing the Delaware River to remain free flowing. For a time, Phil worked directly with the NY State DEC and NY City’s DEP engineers to increase NYC reservoir releases, allowing healthier Catskill river flows. He developed a Water Watcher’s program that tested area water systems for pollution levels, encouraging his high school students to participate and become enthused, ultimately resulting in preservation of the health of the Neversink River and other area waterways. As an intervener with the Federal Energy Resource Commission, Phil pushed for Orange and Rockland reservoir releases which gave new life to the Mongaup River. He also served as the local Deerpark representative for the Upper Delaware Council which is in charge of 75 miles of the Delaware River, and helped council a number of organizations involved in water management of the Delaware and Neversink rivers. Over the years, he received numerous awards for his conservation efforts, and his flyfishing and river knowledge developed to such an extent that he was chosen to guide Jimmy & Rosalyn Carter during a local flyfishing trip to the Delaware. Phil’s survivors include daughter Carol Chase of Port Jervis, NY, sons Robert Chase of Hoboken, NJ, Alvin Chase and his wife Janine of Westtown, NY and Barry Chase and his wife Lori of Cranberry Township, PA, sister Laura Stewart and husband John of Kenedy TX, sister Ruth Greer and husband Robert of Kalispell, MT, sister Dorothy Decker and husband Melvin of Sparrowbush, NY, and grandchildren Alex, Sarah, Erin and Joseph Chase, as well as many cousins, nieces, nephews and in-laws. He was predeceased by his son Bruce Chase. Visitation will be on Thursday, May 11, from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. at the Knight-Auchmoody Funeral Home, 154 East Main St, Port Jervis, NY. Funeral services will be held at the United Methodist Church in Sparrowbush on Friday, May 12, at 1:30p.m. Rev. Amy Garrett will officiate. Burial will be at the Rural Valley Cemetery in Oakland Valley, NY. In lieu of flowers, those who wish may make donations to the Port Jervis Educational Foundation, Port Jervis wrestler college scholarship fund, the PJ/DV HS Golf Alumni Tournament scholarship fund, G.A.I.T at PO Box 69, Milford, PA 18337, or any local community organization of their choice. Arrangements are by the Knight-Auchmoody Funeral Home, 154 E. Main St., Port Jervis, NY. For information, directions or to send a condolence note to the family visit knight-auchmoody.com.

posted by DMA  # 11:02 PM


<< Home

Archives

June 2004   July 2004   August 2004   September 2004   October 2004   November 2004   December 2004   January 2005   February 2005   March 2005   April 2005   May 2005   June 2005   July 2005   August 2005   September 2005   October 2005   November 2005   December 2005   January 2006   February 2006   March 2006   April 2006   May 2006   June 2006   July 2006   August 2006   September 2006   October 2006   November 2006   December 2006   January 2007   February 2007   March 2007   April 2007   May 2007   June 2007   July 2007   August 2007   September 2007   October 2007   November 2007   December 2007   January 2008   February 2008   March 2008   April 2008   May 2008   June 2008   July 2008   August 2008   September 2008   October 2008   November 2008   December 2008   January 2009   February 2009   March 2009   April 2009   May 2009   June 2009   July 2009   August 2009   September 2009   October 2009   November 2009   December 2009   January 2010   February 2010   March 2010   April 2010   May 2010   June 2010   July 2010   August 2010   September 2010   October 2010   November 2010   December 2010   January 2011   February 2011   March 2011   April 2011   May 2011   June 2011   July 2011   August 2011   September 2011   October 2011   November 2011   December 2011   January 2012   February 2012   March 2012   April 2012   May 2012   June 2012   July 2012   August 2012   September 2012   October 2012   November 2012   December 2012   January 2013   February 2013   March 2013   April 2013   May 2013   June 2013   July 2013   August 2013   September 2013   October 2013   November 2013   December 2013   January 2014   February 2014   March 2014   April 2014   May 2014   June 2014   July 2014   August 2014   September 2014   October 2014   November 2014   December 2014   January 2015   February 2015   March 2015   April 2015   May 2015   June 2015   July 2015   August 2015   September 2015   October 2015   November 2015   December 2015   January 2016   February 2016   March 2016   April 2016   May 2016   June 2016   July 2016   August 2016   September 2016   October 2016   November 2016   December 2016   January 2017   February 2017   March 2017   April 2017   May 2017   June 2017   July 2017   August 2017   September 2017   October 2017   November 2017   December 2017   January 2018   February 2018   March 2018   April 2018   May 2018   June 2018   July 2018   August 2018   September 2018   October 2018   November 2018   December 2018   January 2019   February 2019   March 2019   April 2019   May 2019   June 2019   July 2019   August 2019   September 2019   October 2019   November 2019   December 2019   January 2020   February 2020   March 2020   April 2020   May 2020   June 2020   July 2020   August 2020   September 2020   October 2020   November 2020   December 2020   January 2021   February 2021   March 2021   April 2021   May 2021   June 2021   July 2021  

This page is powered by Blogger. Isn't yours?