Phillip Hernandez was a man whose smile lit up a room. He loved his family with a dedication and depth that inspired the people around him to love each other generously and show up for each other every day. 

Phil loved to run on trails, to ride his bike, and to participate in any outdoor activity that required physical strength. Except swimming, which he didn’t like because he never won a swimming race!

Phil was famous for his practical jokes. He liked jumping out from behind bushes and scaring his friends and family. He called people at 6:00 am on their birthdays to be sure he was the first person to wish them a happy day. He gifted empty boxes for Christmas and hid expensive gifts inside the toe of a sock. He delighted in the unexpected and laughed at himself every day.

Phil was the friend you could count on, the coach who bought you cleats when your family couldn’t afford them and the nice man down the street who changed flat tires on the neighborhood kids’ bikes. On Saturday mornings during the winter months he’d make a four hour round trip drive to the local mountains to fill the back of his truck with snow and deliver it to our driveway. The whole neighborhood would come out and enjoy an unexpected winter wonderland while he sipped coffee with a huge grin on his face. 

Phil was thoughtful, resourceful, talented, dedicated and irreplaceable. 

The work of the Soaring Spirits Resilience Center is dedicated in his memory by his wife Michele, his kids, his family, his friends and the people who miss the nice guy that used to change the neighborhood’s  flat tires. We all miss you.

Supporting the Soaring Spirits Resilience Center in Phil’s honor is a perfect way to ensure that his spirit of quiet service continues to change the world.