Phil was born Sept. 23, 1925, in Plainfield, N.J., the son of Philip Van Deventer ’19, nephew of Joseph Van Deventer 1911, and great-nephew of Jacob Van Deventer 1874.
During World War II he served as a quartermaster in the Navy, earning the Victory, American Theatre, and Asiatic Pacific medals, the last with two stars, and the Philippine Liberation Ribbon.
Phil withdrew from the University June 1, 1948, at the end of our freshman year, eventually becoming a service representative for Addressograph-Multigraph in Washington, D.C. He and Heda von Meysenburg were married Sept. 16, 1950. By 1961 he was with the National Publishing Company in D.C., also in the addressing industry. Thereafter we lost contact with Phil until 1997, when he reported that he had retired.
Phil died Jan. 26, 2010, in New Bern, N.C. He is survived by Heda; sons Philip L. and James R. Van Deventer; daughters Heda Manette Tao, Margaret Louise (“Lulu”) Mack, Ann Warren Ide, and Emily Anstead; 12 grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren. Burial was in St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery in New Bern with full military honors.