Phillip Utterback

PHILLIP CARL UTTERBACK of Beaver Dam, Wisconsin made his transition peacefully at home, as was his wish, on Friday February 3, 2023 at the age of 83.  Phil was born on July 20, 1939 to Charles and Grace Utterback, in Crawfordsville, Indiana. Phil has two sons, Carl (Reem) and Derek (Susheila Isaac) Utterback with Irene Williams, whom he married in 1961. Phil married his high school sweetheart, Sonia Rasmussen (née Thompson), in 1989 and has one stepson, Eric Schumacher-Rasmussen (Kris) and one stepdaughter, Anne Rasmussen Clark (Thomas). He was grandfather to Zain and Kenz Utterback, Eric Thomas Clark (Emma Cournoyer), Joe Simon-Rasmussen (Cori), and Maren and Isaac Schumacher-Rasmussen, and great grandfather to Graham Simon-Rasmussen. He is survived by his wife Sonia Utterback, his sons, daughter, and grandchildren as listed, and his brother, Bruce Utterback of Scottsdale, AZ. He is preceded in death by his parents, Charlie and Gracie, his brother Daniel, and granddaughter Lauren Utterback.

Phil was compassionate, generous, funny, loving, and PHILosophical (he loved a good pun, or even a bad one), and left an impression on everyone he met, no matter how briefly. He made the best buckwheat pancakes and baked the best bread in the world, and was a connoisseur of jazz, dark chocolate, and biscuits and gravy. Sonia said he was the only man on the planet who could fold a fitted sheet. His vision of the world—both seen and unseen—was as colorful as the watercolors he painted. Deeply spiritual and ever-seeking, he found simple solutions to complex challenges, and revealed complicated puzzles in even the most banal experiences. “What is the universe trying to teach me?,” he’d frequently ask, and Phil taught us that the answer isn’t nearly as important as the questioning.

The family held a private service and would ask that people donate memorials directly to the charity of their choice.