Remembering Uncle Phil!     

We lost my youngest uncle Phil Soares on April 15. The day was both Good Friday and Passover and, some might say, perhaps an auspicious day to go.  

Monsignor Edward Wetterer, now retired — who used to be with St. Michael’s Parish in Flushing, NY and knew Phil well — wrote in a text to my mother, “Dear Evelyn and Family, Your brother Phil has a special place in my heart. Good Friday: what a beautiful day for his passing from this world! He’s in good company.  Blessings, Monsignor Edward.”

The Dashing Young Man from Das Island!

My earliest memories of Phil are of a dashing young man who visited us when we lived in India. As school kids, we were intrigued with his yarns and tall stories! No women were allowed on Das Island (in the Arabian Gulf) where he worked. So, while staying with us in New Delhi, he made up for lost time by meeting up with his many, many girlfriends! 

I remember this pair of stylish cat-eyed  sunglasses he gave me.  I have a picture (see below) of Uncle Phil and I standing together in bright sunlight in our Lajpat Nagar “compound” (courtyard).  I was all of 9 or 10 years old, in white shorts and tee, wearing said sun glasses, and feeling oh-so-proud! 

Phil was always the life and soul of the party! He had a quip and a joke about everything. Even when he lost his sight to glaucoma, he hardly missed a beat! He was my singing and often my ballroom dance partner at Soares family gatherings where we always initiated the “singalong.”

Golden Oldies and Konkani Songs 

We were continuing a tradition of singing Golden Oldies and Konkani songs at my aunt Laura’s house that was begun by my late Uncle Tony Soares who used to serenade my dearly departed grandmother “Mai” (Virginia Soares) with “mandos” (folk music) from her native Goa for Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, birthdays, and other family gatherings.

I found this photo from April 2017 of an Easter gathering with the four Soares siblings and two in-laws: Phil, Laura, Mum (Evelyn), Rev. Msgr. Nicholas, Aunty Blanche, Oscar — all smiling, all looking happy! Now a key member of that generation — one of the “intrepid six” — is sadly gone! 

We will miss you, Uncle Phil! It's time to rest peacefully! We celebrate you, always!  

Ludi Joseph

New York 

April 21, 2022

Note that much of the above text was read aloud at Phil’s funeral service on April 20, 2021. As a tribute to their dad, Phil’s daughters, Lynette and Joan, did a great job organizing the Mass, committal service, and lunch reception. It was very well done, right down to the Angel mementos! See family pictures below. 

Soares Siblings: Phil, Laura, Nicholas, Mum at Monsignor
Nicholas Soares’ 2014 Golden Jubilee, Staten Is., NY

Soares Siblings & In-laws, April 17, 2017: Blanche,
Mum, Fr. Nicholas, Oscar, Phil, Laura

Funeral Mass, April 20, 2021, St. Michael’s, Flushing, NY
With Monsignors Nicholas Soares and Edward Wetterer

At the Lunch Reception, April 20, 2021: A. Blanche, Oscar, Fr. Nicholas, Laura, Mum

At the Lunch Reception, April 20, 2021: Laura, Mum, Lorna

Father’s Day, 2021: Phil with his son, David

Lorna and I took Phil to Vote, Nov. 2, 2021

Phil with Family and Friends

Wearing the famous Cat-Eyed Sunglasses:
Phil and I in New Delhi, India