Elder, Phillip January 30, 1938 - May 20, 2021

Phillip Elder, avid hunter, consummate storyteller, and ace salesman, passed away peacefully on May 20, 2021, at home in the company of his wife and children. A man of immense character, energy, and enthusiasm for life, he succumbed to brain cancer at the age of 83. 

Phillip Elder was born on January 30, 1938, in Newburgh, Indiana, and was the youngest of Louise and Sam Elder’s six children. He grew up on the family farm surrounded by the outdoors. This became the setting for many adventures in his childhood and carried on throughout his life. He learned the value of hard work, how to swim in the Ohio river, and how to hunt small game and live off of the land. Phil developed a passion for hunting and fishing that remained central to his life. 

Phil graduated from Reitz Memorial High School in Evansville, Indiana, and then attended University of Indiana on a baseball scholarship, as a left-handed pitcher. He joined the Army in 1959 and served overseas on the French and German borders. 

Shortly after returning home, he met Sylvia Kaiser on a double date. They married in 1964 in Evansville, Indiana. They soon moved to Bloomington, Indiana, and, in 1969, Phil joined Federated Insurance. He thereby began a long and successful career as a District Marketing Manager, moving first to Columbia, Missouri, and then settling in Kansas City, Missouri. He retired with Federated in 1996. He brought a unique personality and perspective to his work, which earned the respect of his coworkers and created many lifelong friendships. At his retirement party, his coworkers told lively stories of how he creatively combined his passion for hunting with his ability to relate with customers.  

Phil stayed active in many civic organizations, including the Knights of Columbus, Boy Scouts of America (Mic-o-Say and Trailblazers), VFW, Elks, and American Legion. He volunteered frequently to cook for large crowds and loved a good Barbecue. 

Known to his friends as “Phil the Budman,” he never ceased telling his own stories, and his friends enjoy telling stories of Phil. He owned land in the hills of Osceola, Missouri, where he hunted, fished, trapped, and sometimes just sat on his porch overlooking the land. Phil was a modern-day Davy Crockett. His love of fishing took him to Canada, Alaska, Louisiana, Minnesota, South Dakota and a yearly father-and-sons trip to Lake Taneycomo. 

Phillip is survived by his wife Sylvia Elder, his children Theodore Robert (T.R. or Ted) Elder, Caroline Elder Danda, Thomas Elder, and Emily Elder, as well as six wonderful grandchildren: Drew, Macie, Jay, Ryan, Tommy, and Lucy. 

There will be a memorial Mass and reception at St. Thomas More Parish, 11822 Holmes Rd, Kansas City, MO 64131.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Catholic Community Hospice, 9740 W. 87th St, Overland Park, KS 66212 or https://catholiccharitiesks.org/hospice/donate-to-hospice/