Phil Guildford
Phil Guildford March 1, 1939 – October 14, 2021
It is with sadness and heavy hearts we must inform of Phil’s passing, he will be greatly missed by all, especially by his wife of 61 years, Janet. He was a loving Father of Tracey & Carl, and a beloved Pappa to Tyler, Callum, Megan, Evan, Alexander, Nicholas, Ashlyn and Abby. With his adoring Wife by his side and after a fond goodbye from all his family, Phil quietly set sail for a new adventure.
Phil was born in Rochford, England. Even though times were hard, his parents encouraged him to live his dreams. With an insatiable thirst for adventure and a passion for the sea, Phil set his sights on joining the Merchant Navy. On the daily train trips to college, he met his sweetheart and by 17 was serving as a radio officer. Phil soon married and after six years of exploring the oceans he left the Navy and England behind to start a new life in New Zealand. Trying his hand at a few jobs, he eventually found his way to a job with Air New Zealand, where he thrived. Fifteen years later a new adventure was in the cards and a move to Canada was announced. After various jobs in Calgary, Phil landed his dream job with Canadian Airlines, where the employee travel department could not keep up with the number of trips taken by Phil & Janet. Phil always stayed connected to his love of sailing and happily spent most of the past 30 years exploring the world with Janet and enjoying time with family and friends.
Whether it be raising purebred Simmentals, listening for a bird’s song in the trees or simply watching the sunset over the stern, Phil lived his dreams. He has watched both children and eight grandchildren grow and thrive. His unending love for his family always showed while his caring and humour filled every space. He leaves many who will keep him in their memories forever.
Donations in Lieu of flowers or gifts can be gratefully made to the Parkinson’s Association of Alberta.
Funeral Service (COVID restrictions in effect)
Saturday October 23rd, at 2:00 PM
Trinity Funeral Home, 10530 117 St. Edmonton AB.
All are welcome to join Via Zoom by using the following information:
Meeting ID: 863 3523 4891
Passcode: Guildford
Words cannot convey how sad we were to hear about Phil.
I worked with Phil for several years at the airline and I recall Phil loved to talk about his travels. Like the time he went to see the tall ships in Halifax, signed up as a crew member on one of the ships and ended up sailing to England and flying home. His zest for adventure and his determination to enjoy life has been an inspiration to all who knew him.
Phil’s love for his family will live on in the memories of times shared together. With time we hope you will find peace of heart and take comfort in those wonderful memories you shared.
With our deepest sympathy
Marlene & Mike Gaal
Dear Marlene & Mike
Thank you for your condolences and sharing some of the time you spent with Phil. He did enjoy travelling and we do have wonderful memories.
Take care
Janet
Sincere condolences to the family of Phil Guildford. I knew the family, in particular friend with Tracey, and have lovely memories of staying at the beach and the farm. Please pass on my sincere thoughts and prayers from Leonie Doherty ( Piper) Christchurch New Zealand.
Leonie,
So nice of you to reach out to us, during this difficult time.
I would be happy to re-connect with you thru email.
Thanks again
Tracey
Thanks Tracey. I hope you are all doing well. My email address is below.
Would love to hear from you.
Kind regards
Leonie
Janet
I was deeply saddened to hear of Phil’s passing he was one of the nicest people that I have met. Always looked forward to seeing him come down to the boat in St. Pete. I fondly remember going to dinner with him and Janet at the Moon over the Water. He will be sadly missed.
Hi there, I know this is very late from Phil’s passing. I was randomly looking up Phil’s name on the internet and saw his obituary. I worked with Phil at Canadian Airlines. He was one of the nicest and funniest people I have ever worked with my life. As a young guy working at his first real job, Phil was a big mentor and assisted me in always being there and answering my crazy questions about what to do with different customers. Unfortunately, we lost contact somewhere along the way either when he moved to Edmonton or when I moved to the States. I always remember how he always spoke about Janet and his family. I truly believe that his influence rubbed off on me because he was such a positive influence. I am very sad to read about his passing but happy to see he lived his dreams.