Phil Polkinghorn

William Phillip Polkinghorn, 85, of Idaho Falls, passed away October 22, 2016, at Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center after a brief illness.

Phil was born June 1, 1931, in Butte, Montana to William Henry Polkinghorn and Florence Camille Burr. He grew up in Butte, Montana. He liked to speed skate, ride motorcycles, and work in shop class. When he was young, he was a pin setter at a local bowling alley. After Phil and his friend Les broke a window at his house, he had to go work at the Community Gas Station to pay for it. He worked at the Community Gas Station during World War II when all the permanent employees had gone off to war. He graduated from Butte High School in 1949 and went to the J.M. Perry Institute Body and Fender School in Yakima, Washington. Then, he returned to Butte, Montana to do auto body repair at Independent Welding, his father’s welding and towing business. He joined the Air Force in 1951 and served until 1955. He was stationed in Japan and Moses Lake, Washington. When he was discharged as a Staff Sergeant from the Air Force, he returned to Butte and fell in love with Mary Carol Grace. He proposed to Carol on her graduation day from Columbus School of Nursing, and they married on September 8, 1957 at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Butte, Montana. They moved to Bozeman, Montana so Phil could study mechanical engineering. In Bozeman, they had their first two children. Upon graduating from Montana State University, Phil and his family moved to West Palm Beach, Florida.

In Florida, Phil’s professional career began with Pratt and Whitney Aircraft as a design assistant. He and his family then moved to Dubuque, Iowa where Phil worked for John Deere Dubuque Tractor Works as an Engineer-in-Training. He would drive a tractor back and forth to test and evaluate the transmissions and final drive units and determine how long they would last. He enjoyed this job and bragged that the clutches lasted much longer when he drove the tractor. Before leaving Iowa, their youngest son was born. Next, they moved to Anaheim, California where Phil worked for North American Aviation, Space and Information Systems. He was with a team of engineers that designed part of the service module for the Apollo 11 that landed on the moon. He used what he learned from one of his master’s classes at UCLA to design a counter spring on the service module. He was promoted within the company to a Senior Design Engineer in Ocean Systems Operations. There, Phil did proposal work on underwater vehicles and structural systems. Phil was then "snapped up" by McDonnell Douglas, Missile and Space Systems Division as a Senior Design Engineer. At McDonnell Douglas, he worked on the S-IVB moon rocket that carried the command and service module to the moon. Phil completed a Master’s Degree in Engineering from UCLA while working fulltime and raising a family. Eventually, Phil wanted to be closer to Butte, so they moved to Idaho Falls. In Idaho Falls, he worked for Westinghouse as an Engineer in the ECF Engineering group and Aerojet Nuclear Company as a Senior Engineer in the Design Engineering Branch.

When they first moved to Idaho Falls, the family enjoyed hunting, camping, fishing, and hiking. Phil was a long time member of the Elks in Idaho Falls. Phil and Carol enjoyed bowling on a league at the Elks.

Phil was an avid car enthusiast. In the mid sixties, he bought his first antique car. It was a 1923 Studebaker. He restored and painted the car in his garage, winning best paint in the early 70’s at a car show held in the Idaho Falls mall. He also picked up the original Colonel Sanders in the Studebaker at the airport for a promotional tour. He received a coupon for a bucket of chicken. He was a long time member of the local chapter of the Veteran Motor Car Club of America. Phil and his wife Carol traveled throughout the country on many old car tours. They enjoyed the travel, scenery, events, and camaraderie on these tours. Also, Phil and Carol went to numerous swap meets, including a yearly trip to the Reno swap meet.

Phil and Carol enjoyed traveling with long time friends George, Ramona, Scottie, and Leonora. On their Honda Goldwing, they traveled extensively throughout the western United States sightseeing and visiting wineries.

All his life, Phil had been extremely clever. He took an upholstery class and bought an industrial sewing machine so he could do his own upholstery. He made a convertible top for a friend of his and then made a top for his 1923 Studebaker. He also reupholstered the seats in Phillip’s 1969 Chevelle SS and David’s 1972 Ford F 250 pick-up. He had his own lathe and designed, repaired, or repurposed many things. He also enjoyed playing the accordion and could be persuaded by his grandchildren to play a few tunes during their visits. Phil also loved playing blackjack in tournaments. He once won third place at a tournament in Jackpot and received $5,000. Phil was also an "amateur cartographer." He collected maps and made detailed maps for family and friends.

We would to thank our father, Phil, for the long term care he provided for our mother. His caregiving allowed our mother to stay in the home she loved.

Phil is survived by his daughter, Terri (John) Walton of Fruitland, Idaho; his two sons, Phillip Polkinghorn of Portland, Oregon, and David (Hien) Polkinghorn of University Place, Washington; his sister Marilyn Cashin of Butte, Montana, his brother-in-law Jack (Marilyn) Grace, of Butte, Montana; and his 10 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.

He is preceded in death by his parents, his twin sister Margorie, brothers-in-law Bob Williams and Bob Cashin, his great-grandson Avery, and his wife Carol.

The family would like to thank Renae, Dad’s long time neighbor, for her friendship, help, and compassion to our parents.

Please join us for a celebration of Phil’s life from 6:00 - 8:00 PM on Friday, October 28, at 439 3rd Street, Idaho Falls, Idaho. We will be enjoying refreshments and sharing memories of Phil at Dawn and Gary Schwartzenberger’s shop.

There will be a graveside service on October 31, at 11:00 A.M. at the Sunset Park Memorial Cemetery near Anaconda, Montana. Following the service, there will be lunch at the Uptown Cafe at 47 E Broadway St, in Butte, Montana.

Celebration of Life