Philip J. “Phil” Howrigan ’57
Source: https://www.healdfuneralhome.com/obituaries/Philip-John-Howrigan?obId=49020441
Philip John Howrigan, born in Fairfield, Vermont, in 1935, died in Seattle, Washington, on June 11, 2026.
Philip was the son of Edward Howrigan and Helen Maloney Howrigan. His father died at the young age of 52, and his mother died in 1982. Philip graduated from St. Michael’s College in Colchester, Vermont. His experiences living and growing up in Vermont created lasting memories he would recount with great pleasure. He met lifelong friends whom he stayed in regular contact with. Phil attended graduate school at the University of Washington, where he became a devoted fan of the Washington Husky football team.
Upon graduation from St. Michael’s College, Philip served his country as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Air Force from 1958 to 1960, including service in Japan. After his military service, he began a career in the publishing industry in New York City. In 1964, he moved to Seattle to represent Little, Brown and Company in the college textbook market throughout the Pacific Northwest. Somehow, he also managed to finagle Hawaii into his territory, a particularly agreeable addition to a career that took him throughout the West Coast and Hawaii before his retirement.
Philip loved skiing, and for a time he and his dear friend Samuel Edward “Ed” Parker, lived in Sun Valley, Washington, to enjoy the sunny slopes. Although Philip suffered the loss of the use of one arm following a stroke in middle age, he did not let that diminish his outgoing personality or his zest for life.
Philip is remembered as a gregarious talker and will be missed by his family and many friends from around the country.
He was predeceased by his brother, Richard “Dick” Howrigan of Colchester, Vermont, who died in 2025; and his sister, Elaine Pettit of Tacoma, Washington, who died in 2024.
He is survived by his niece, MaryEllen Pettit, and his nephew, James Howrigan.
A devout Catholic, Philip was a longtime parishioner at St. James Cathedral in Seattle.