Phillip “Phil” Marion Price

December 1941 – December 2024

Phillip “Phil” Marion Price, passed away during the early morning hours of December 1st, 2024, he was 82 years old. He was residing in Portland, OR with his youngest daughter, who was by his side as he passed from natural causes.

Phil was born in Denver, Colorado in December 1941 to Olga Marie (Barbari) Price and Ira Leroy Price. He spent much of his life in the Southwestern U.S. in the states of Colorado, New Mexico and Nevada.

Phil was preceded in death by his grandparents: Nobel and Hattie Price and Ernesto and Anna Barbari; his parents, Ira Price (1985) and Olga (Barbari) Price (2005); his older sister Betty Price (1970) and younger brother Paul Dennis Price (2008) and nephew Michael Price (2015).

He is survived by his daughters Kathy Chavez and her husband Dan Chavez of Albuquerque, NM, Karen Patak of Humble, Texas and Dominique Price of Portland, OR; his youngest sister, Peggy Hensley and her husband Wes Hensley and nephew Thomas Hensley in Sarasota, Florida and nephew Chad Hensley and wife Melissa Hensley in Peoria, Illinois; sister-in-law Burlena Price and niece Laurena Alfaro; grandchildren Nicole, Sara, Allison and Kyle and great-grandchildren Paydin, Ethan, Jibril, Adeline, and Benjamin.

Phil was the All-American Athlete, playing baseball, basketball, football and running track in high school. He graduated from Grants High School in Grants, New Mexico in 1960. He excelled at sports, so much so that he was offered various sports scholarships to attend college. However, he chose to work to help his parents and siblings instead of pursuing a college education. He continued playing sports for company teams, like Homestake Mining, playing baseball or in adult leagues, particularly in bowling. He had the opportunity to pursue professional sports in baseball and bowling and even tried out for MLB, but life took him on other adventures. It seems not much of his athleticism passed on to his kids.

He loved watching sports, car racing and westerns. He enjoyed Sci-Fi as well, watching movies like Star Wars and TV shows like Star Trek and Stargate. He had a creative streak and the patience to figure out any problem as a do-it-yourself type. He was a quieter individual but was friendly, struck up conversations with strangers and would be silly just to get a laugh.

He loved animals of all kinds and was always ready to help an animal in need. In fact, growing up, he drove his mother nuts bringing home any stray animal he came across. In his neighborhood in Reno, he collaborated with the local Humane Society to feed neighborhood stray cats. He frequently was the adoptive parent of choice for dogs his youngest daughter needed help with.

He enjoyed travelling by car to see new places and explore ghost towns. He would get his oldest daughters and then wife, up early in the mornings to pile in the car and take off. Many, many years later, him and his adopted dog Ryder, spent many hours driving around the Reno area exploring. He was interested in local mining and geology, archeology (and instilled interest in Ancient Egypt in his youngest daughter). He had a catalog-like memory for Classic Cars and knew the make, model, year of a vehicle at a glance. He could tell you what year a specific detail changed on a car and reminisced frequently about high school auto class.

He spent his life working as a miner. He worked at Homestake Mining Company, United Nuclear and other mining companies, with the occasional foray into lumber or other odd jobs. He mined uranium mostly, but sometimes copper and other minerals. He shared interesting stories of his life as a miner, from dangerous wild animals who spent cold nights in the mine, to dinosaur fossils found during their work.

He utilized his expertise as a minor as an instructor program coordinator at Grants Branch College. He eventually relocated to Las Vegas, Nevada where he worked for the Nevada Test Site during the time when nuclear testing occurred underground. He retired from there in the early 90s. He kept all of the memorabilia associated with the various projects he was part of at the Test Site.

His mother’s side of the family immigrated to the US from northern Italy and Phil always shared their memories of Italy, his memories growing up with them and his love of Italian food especially. Phil was a civic minded individual. During the time he lived in Las Vegas, NV he helped houseless individuals residing at area shelters, such as The Shade Tree. He supported other charities such as Opportunity Village, Catholic Charities, St. Jude’s, Wounded Warrior Project and local Humane Societies and by example, illustrated the importance of helping others.

Omega Funeral & Cremation is caring for cremation arrangements. A small private dinner is being hosted by family and friends in the Portland area. A private family gathering will also occur later in the spring of 2025 at which time an internment of his urn will take place and Phil will be laid to rest with his parents and siblings at Elmwood Cemetery in Fruita, Colorado.

Thank you to RN Villa Senior Care, Legacy doctors and nurses, Marquis Peidmont and Bristol Hospice for your help in the last months of his life. Special thank you to Hannah Stiffler, and friends of Dominique who helped support them during his final years of life.

In lieu of flowers memorial donations may be given to the go fund me page:   https://gofund.me/ff5fba62