July 7, 1951 – November 24, 2024

Phil Bartlett had life-long friends from every place he lived, as
evidenced by these last weeks of his life. He had that rare gift of
gab and was always the funniest person in the room. Everyone
loved spending time with him.
Phil grew up in Vernon,Texas in the 50s and 60s, and had
a pretty idyllic childhood. He rode his bike all over town, and
later drove his bright yellow Volkswagen “Thing” until it was
time to come home for dinner. Phil was the drummer in a band,
The Uncalled Four, which practiced in his family’s garage and
played at local dances. The band got their big break when they
opened for Sonny and Cher at the Plaza Theater in Vernon. The
night was topped o􀵵 with a “Twist” contest up on the stage.
At Southwestern University, he found his new posse at the KA House. Phil came up
with a prank to take their pledge trainers up to Vernon and drop them outside of town
in a wheat 􀂿 eld with a dime in their pockets. They pulled it o􀵵 and headed back to
Georgetown the next morning. Phil stayed close friends with many of the KAs and later
helped start a travel club. Every year in the spring, Southwestern KAs from di􀵵 erent
classes go somewhere in Texas for a long weekend and pick up where they left o􀵵 . We’re
told Phil held court with his wit and stories every year.
When Phil transferred to UT, his sister was a freshman. He had spent many weekends
in Austin so he knew all the joints. Phil took Suzy to places like Soap Creek Salon and
the Broken Spoke to hear up and coming singers like Willie Nelson. It was the 􀂿 rst time
they were adults together out in the world. In return, Suzy got him through his dreaded
math class.
In 1986, Phil met Stacey Stone at Lake Kemp. They fell in love and married in his
parent’s big beautiful backyard where he grew up. Phil and Stacey had Alex (Scooty) in
1996, and Ben (Beef) in 1997. His family was his pride and joy and he was a great father.
Many years were spent out on Lake Kemp, with Stacey and Phil teaching the boys to
swim, ski and appreciate the beauty of friendships, nature, and the love of animals.
The family loved spending time in Port Aransas so much that in 2012 they decided to
move there. Ben and Alex spent their high school years in PA, enjoying the coastal life
along with Stacey and Phil. This is where they made their latest set of life-long friends.
The outpouring from this community has been astounding, to say the least.
Phil was always giving nicknames to friends and pets, and he had a few given to him.
In the KA house he was known as “Philthy Phil” apparently for his lack of house keeping
skills. And later in Vernon, after taking his friends on a harrowing ride in his new truck
on a rainy night, his good friend Dennis dubbed him “Thrill Phil.” That one stuck.
Stacey and Phil spent 38 years together, making friends, being involved in their
communities (Vernon, Flower Mound and Port Aransas), raising their sons and loving
and supporting each other.
The family would like to thank their many friends, especially Marty Harris, Bill
Powell and Tammy King, and invite you to join us at our
“Thrill Phil-Bigger Than Life” party. The gathering will be at 2 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 1st
at 717 Tarrant Avenue in Port Aransas. Bring your favorite Phil stories.
We will also be having a celebration of life in Vernon, Texas later this coming spring.
Date TBD.
If you would like to make a donation in Phil’s memory, please consider
PortAransasConservancyFund.org or the Wilbarger Humane Society.