Philip V Wilder

A loving husband, father, grandfather, and friend - Philip Vern Wilder left this earth and passed away in his home on the morning of the 10th of December 2024.

The day he left us was a picture-perfect Colorado winter's day-a quiet, sunny morning with a gorgeous blanket of fresh, powdery snow.

Philip was born on 29th of June, 1941 in Ada, Oklahoma to William and Thelma Wilder. The son of a baker and a homemaker, Philip grew up mostly in Lawton, Oklahoma where he graduated from Lawton High School. He kept a cl rcle of friends in Lawton that lasted throughout his life ti me-a few of whom are still with us today.

After high school, Philip attended Abilene Christian College (now Abilene Christian University) in Texas on a full music scholarship as a first-chair clarinetist in the college orchestra.

It was soon after his time at college that Philip met and married the love of his life (his "rock"), Coralyn Tischer.

They both lived for a short time in Oklahoma City, where they welcomed their first-born son, Timothy Blake. Then they decided to move to Coralyn's hometown of Miami, Florida where they would welcome their second son, Jeremy Bret.

While living in Miami, Phil reminisced with his wife about fond memories he had of childhood visits to Colorado, so in 1973 they decided to leave Florida behind and settle in Colorado Springs.

Many wonderful years were spent with his young family in the Springs area-fishing, camping, hiking and exploring the Rocky Mountains.

In the early 1980s, Phil was offered a job at a bank in La Junta, so they left for the wind-swept plains and small-town living. Once their sons had finished high school and moved on, Phil and Coralyn felt the urge to return to the mountains once again.

The two lived like newly-weds, rambling around such locations as Cuchara and La Veta. Phil often spoke about the beauty of seeing the moonlight shining down on the snow-covered mountains from their bedroom window in Cuchara -where they both worked at the ski resort.

Soon Phil and Coralyn searched for a place where they could settle down for good and decided on Canon City. There they bought a little yellow house with a white picket fence. This would be his final home.

Proud of his Native American ancestry, Philip was a life-long member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation of Oklahoma - a rich legacy of history and family stories he left with his descendants.

Phil was preceded in death by his parents and his adopted sister, Sue - a member of the Cherokee Nation.

Keeping his memories alive in their hearts are his wife, sons and his four grandchildren -Jonathan, Sean, Cora, and Christopher. He also has life-long friends and extended family.

He will be sorely missed, but he is now at Peace again.

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