Phillip A. Willcox, 79, of Fayetteville passed away Thursday morning at home. He
was born in Groton, NY, the son of the late Clarence and Mary Willcox. After high school, Phil enrolled at SUNY Albany. At the end of his sophomore year, as he once said, “they asked me not to return!”
Moving back to Groton, he worked at Smith-Corona. He decided soon after that he wanted something better and a change of scene, so he went to Eastern Airlines School and was assigned to the Airport in Melbourne, Florida. It was an exciting time to be there as it was the height of NASA and the Space Program. He was thrilled to meet the original seven Astronauts, their wives, Walter Cronkite and Henny Youngman. At the Airport, Phil did everything: checked people in, put their luggage on the conveyor belt, went around and took the baggage and put it in the plane. He was also responsible for directing the planes for both takeoffs and landings. One of his tasks every morning was to drive the runway to make sure there were no cows grazing on the tarmac!
While enjoying his life in Melbourne, Phil was drafted into the United States Army where he proudly served from 1961-1963, assigned to Governors Island in G-2 Intelligence.
After his discharge, in the mid 1960’s, he decided to go back to school, enrolled at LeMoyne College and graduated in 1969 with a Bachelor’s Degree. Even before he graduated, he was hired by East Syracuse-Minoa to teach High School English. He taught there for 27 years, retiring in 1996. Phil had many varied interests: he was a jazz aficionado and he loved reading. He looked forward to traveling and cruising. One trip was to his great grandfather’s hometown in Germany. In all of his travels, he would always try to learn the language, be it Italian, German or French. In his later life, Phil became an enthusiast of Thoroughbred Horse Racing, so much so that he became a part owner of three Thoroughbreds, two of whom won races at Belmont and Finger Lakes. It was always a thrill for Phil to be in the Winner’s Circle with his horse and the other owners. One of his horses was named Ride of Your Life, and while he fought valiantly against Stage 4 lung
cancer, and even had some success in the Backstretch, he didn’t make it to the winner’s circle and Phil definitely had a ride of his life.
Surviving are his wife Joanne Sassi Willcox; daughter, Julie Martin; son, John (Kelly)
Willcox; brother, Keith (Nadene) Willcox; grandsons, Benjamin and Samuel Martin; granddaughters, Kathryn Martin, Keelyn Willcox; sisters-in-law, Deon Willcox, Marie Sassi; brother-in-law, Anthony Sassi, many nieces and nephews; beloved cats Fred and Ginger; Thoroughbred horses, Big Guy and She’s Dreamin'. He was predeceased by his brother, Paul A. Willcox.
Calling hours will be Sunday, May 21, from 11-1 p.m. at the Eaton-Tubbs Fayetteville Chapel, 7191 E. Genesee St., Fayetteville. A memorial service will follow at 1:00 p.m. at the funeral home.
In lieu of flowers, contributions in Phil’s memory may be made to: Hospice of Central New York, 990 Seventh North St. Liverpool, NY 13088, who were most helpful in his final days.

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