George Philip V passed away August 16, 2025. He was born in Hays on August 22, 1954, the oldest son of George “Scotty” Philip IV and Jacqulyn Clowers Philip. He is pre-deceased by his parents and two brothers, Ian and Gordon. Survivors include his son, George Philip VI (Camille Meritan) of Manhattan, his sister, Sheilah Philip (Bob Hartley) of Overland Park, and nephews Alec Philip (Kristen), Hudson Philip, and grand-nephew Evan Philip.
George lived in Hays his whole life, graduating from Hays High in 1972 and FHSU in 1977. He graduated with a Bachelor’s in Speech Communication, but his passion was the study of Math and Physics, for which he nearly completed a Mathematics degree. Since age eleven he worked at the family business, George Philip Hardware and took over sole ownership in 1984 when his father died. Just as the three generations before him, he operated the store that was a downtown staple until it closed in 1997. He continued to be called upon by many citizens of Hays for his breadth of skills in hardware, locksmithing, and repair work, so he opened GPH Fabrication and Repair which he operated until 2018. He then decided to go to work again in retail, doing inventory, hardware, and small tool repair at Heartland Building center until retiring in 2022.
He and his former wife, Nancy Mai, had a son, George VI, born in 1987. They were great friends as well as being father and son. They enjoyed working in his shop he had set up on the original family farmstead in Victoria restoring machinery, shooting, and designing and building things together.
George was, in many ways, a Renaissance man. When he was younger, he enjoyed horsemanship, fencing and tae kwon do. His skills in hardware, tools, locks, and repair work were balanced by his love of reading, classical music, and on-going study of physics and mathematics. He was involved in local politics and served as city commissioner and mayor. He had a wonderful sense of humor, enjoyed cooking and eating, and was the first person his sister knew who had a personal computer.
A memorial service to be at 11:00 am on Saturday, September 13, 2025 at Hays Memorial Chapel Funeral Home with Pastor Brenda Rodger officiating. Private burial will be in Mount Allen Cemetery at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Hays Public Library, First Call for Help of Ellis County, or the Northwest Kansas Area Agency on Aging would be appreciated. Condolences and memories of George may be left for his family at www.haysmemorial.com