It is with broken hearts that my sister and I announce the final curtain call for our biggest and brightest star, Philip Williams.

On September 8th, 2024, unexpectedly but surrounded by family, we lost an amazing Dad and Zaide, the best big brother and brother-in-law, the funniest uncle and great-uncle, the most caring nephew and cousin, the most loyal and truest friend, the kindest little creature lover and a very talented Actor and Photographer amongst many other things. He was larger than life…too big for just a page, but I shall try.

Phil loved to fish. He used to take us out on his boat when we were kids. We would be bored after an hour, but he was happier than ever to sit out there for what seemed like forever, even when nothing was biting. He taught us everything we know about fishing and even shared his favourite spots on Sparrow Lake with us. He had quite a few.

Golf was another passion of his. He was very proud of the fact that he was the youngest member of the Golf Historical Society of Canada. When you didn’t know what to buy him for his birthday, Golf Town gift cards were a safe bet as he already had way too much tackle and fishing gear. Every year he participated in the Big Swing Annual Charity Golf Tournament to raise funds that help support Canadian entertainment professionals through The AFC.

Our dad was the funniest man we knew but he was very serious about his craft. He was an Actor by profession and by heart. He loved performing, whether it be on a stage, in front of a camera or in a sound booth behind a microphone voicing many of the cartoon characters we know and love. He appeared in the feature films: Tommy Boy, Good Will Hunting, Jason X, and John Q amongst others. Yes, we’re bragging because we know he wouldn’t.

He was humble, down to earth and extremely intelligent, often beating me at Wordle every morning and then Quordle and then Octordle just to hit the trifecta.

If there’s anything my sister and I can agree on it’s that our dad always showed up. He showed up for us every time. Skating practices and competitions, school events, birthdays, small celebrations, big celebrations, at 3am when the anxiety kicked in. He was there. He was there to cheer us on, lend a hand, give advice, celebrate, wipe our tears and most importantly to crack some jokes. He showed up for his family and he showed up for his friends, of which he had many. You could always count on him to show up…sometimes “fashionably late”, but show up nonetheless. He was consistent.

Phil was loved by everyone who knew him, well maybe except for the dog owners who let their dogs off leash to chase his squirrels away. I’m sure they could hear him muttering quietly under his breath …. or maybe not so quietly. He loved nature. He would go to the park almost every day (after Starbucks of course) to feed and talk to his “pets”. He could tell Nacho, Rambo and Patchy apart even though they all looked the same to us. He’d make friends with the chipmunks up north and gained the trust of a cardinal he named “little man." He often sent videos of “little man” eating his peanuts and would tell stories of the bush full of sparrows that would see him coming from down the block, our own Dr. Dolittle!

We could go on and on about how amazing our dad Phil was but if you knew him, you already know.
Go Leafs Go!!

The family will be sitting Shiva on Wednesday September 18 and Thursday September 19 from 6-10 at The Atrium, 650 Queens Quay West and would like to welcome anyone who knew him to come and share their stories of Phil. A celebration of life will follow in the next few weeks with more details to come.

In lieu of flowers, Phil would have loved for people who’d like to make a donation to make it to the Ontario Wildlife Foundation.

Forever in our hearts.

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