Phil Gonvers was my best friend in High School. He was like a brother and his parents were like a second family. We had so many things in common it was almost like we were clones of each other. The only difference was I was a musician and he didn't play an instrument but other than that we liked all of the same things. His mother taught me to drive. His parents were much older than the average high school parents. His mother came from Argentina and his father from Switzerland. They were very smart and they raised Phil to be an amazing person.
It has taken me a long time to get around to writing this because I just don't have the best words to describe what a remarkable individual Phil was and when he passed away in 2002 at the young age of 50 I was way too sad to think about how to react in words. But, in remembering the short time in life we spent together, I can only say, Phil was a true friend and a loyal friend. His intelligence, his humor, his strength as a person, and his compassion for others, defined him as a great person.
After high school Phil became a corrections officer in Arizona. He started a family and had a wonderful daughter, who I met only once when he came to California with her just a short time before he passed. The last time I saw him was the year he died when he came to my 50th birthday surpise party. You could not imagine my surprise when I saw him there, walking with a cane and hardly able to get around. Needless to say, I was deeply moved by his attendance and I will never forget the day for the rest of my life.
I'd love to tell all of the stories but there isn't enough room here. Maybe when we eventually have our reunion I will tell some to anyone who asks. But for now, I just want to go on record saying Phil was a bright light in my life and in the world and he is deeply missed.
Louis Korell
Phil Gonvers was my best friend in High School. He was like a brother and his parents were like a second family. We had so many things in common it was almost like we were clones of each other. The only difference was I was a musician and he didn't play an instrument but other than that we liked all of the same things. His mother taught me to drive. His parents were much older than the average high school parents. His mother came from Argentina and his father from Switzerland. They were very smart and they raised Phil to be an amazing person.
It has taken me a long time to get around to writing this because I just don't have the best words to describe what a remarkable individual Phil was and when he passed away in 2002 at the young age of 50 I was way too sad to think about how to react in words. But, in remembering the short time in life we spent together, I can only say, Phil was a true friend and a loyal friend. His intelligence, his humor, his strength as a person, and his compassion for others, defined him as a great person.
After high school Phil became a corrections officer in Arizona. He started a family and had a wonderful daughter, who I met only once when he came to California with her just a short time before he passed. The last time I saw him was the year he died when he came to my 50th birthday surpise party. You could not imagine my surprise when I saw him there, walking with a cane and hardly able to get around. Needless to say, I was deeply moved by his attendance and I will never forget the day for the rest of my life.
I'd love to tell all of the stories but there isn't enough room here. Maybe when we eventually have our reunion I will tell some to anyone who asks. But for now, I just want to go on record saying Phil was a bright light in my life and in the world and he is deeply missed.
Rest In Peace old friend.