Phillip Milton York

Phil York, 88, long-time resident of Los Lunas, passed into the arms of his Savior on Sept. 16, 2024, with loved ones around him.

Phil was the guy you’d call at 2 a.m. when your car broke down. His kindness and generosity showed up in acts of compassion for people and even the many stray animals he patiently and gently cared for. He had a weak spot for the especially skittish ones.

He loved anchovy pizza and a dark beer on occasion, watching football, and rooting for the UNM Lobos men’s basketball team.

He was born Phillip Milton York on July 14, 1936, in Glendale, Calif., to Milton York and Marjorie (Thaxter) York. He later added stepfather, Sam Galer and older stepbrother, Larry, to his life. While a teen, Phil lived and loved the southern California lifestyle, enjoying music, cars, and beach life.

He joined the U.S. Army and undersold that event his whole life because he felt he didn’t have it as hard as a lot of guys. And while he did drive officers around, play saxophone in a band at the officer’s club and told a great story of water skiing in Lebanon, he also did get shot at a few times (including while water skiing), so it would seem to be of note in his young adult years.

He would go on to attend college at College of the Pacific and graduated from law school at the University of New Mexico, where he served as Attorney General in student leadership in the tumult of the early 1970s. He ended up never practicing law and two versions as to why exist in family lore: either he decided he wasn’t crooked enough to be a lawyer, or he knew he was good enough to win most cases and didn’t think that was justice. Maybe those are the same reason. 

He worked as an auto mechanic (owning several of his own businesses over his lifetime), taught at TVI as an auto mechanic instructor and became involved in the dirt track racing community in Albuquerque. He spent many Saturday nights going in a circle and eating dust — well, not a lot of dust because he won a lot. His iconic car No. T5 and later No. 1 could often be seen with a checkered flag on a victory lap.

Into his 80s, he was still winning races and even the yearly championship at Duke City Raceway, Speedway Park and Sandia Speedway. He always liked to start scratch (at the back of the pack) and work his way up for the extra challenge.

He was most proud of his work as a Christian missionary in East Africa, an adventure he took on in his 40s, with the love of his life, Patricia Ann Pacheco (Pat York). Within a few years of him offering to help her improve her bowling score (and subsequently winning the couples trophy that year and each other), they graduated from Intermountain Bible College in Grand Junction, Colo.

In Kenya and Uganda, Phil shared his vocational talents as a mechanic and teacher for various church and NGO groups, as well as helping to preach and church plant in remote areas. He managed to get shot at in that war zone, too.

Everywhere Phil went in the world, you could count on his sharp observation of people and an intellectual curiosity that kept his hands full of books until his very last days.

The legacy of his kindness, entrepreneurial spirit, intelligence and generosity can be seen in the lives of his family.

His children, stepchildren, grandchildren and great-grandchildren include Sandy Rhodes (and wife, Debbie), both deceased, and their children Chrystal, Brenda, Robert and Amy, Dr. Robin Rhodes Campbell (and husband, Philip) and their children, Rachel, Connor and Sam, Scott York (and wife, Rickii), Cynthia York Koogle (and husband, Donal) and their son, James, and Melissa York Caddell (and husband, Casey) and their children, Cameron, Madison and Reece.

Phil is preceded in death by his beloved Pat. In the sorrow of this time, there is great joy in knowing that they are together again.

Private interment has taken place. An informal celebration of life will be held from 3-6 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 13, at Limonata Cafe in Albuquerque.