Phillip Yonge

Phillip Delany Yonge passed away suddenly Tuesday, April 23rd, 2019. Phil is survived by his beloved wife and companion of 22 years, Susan Schuyler Smith Yonge, his son and daughter in law Tom and Melanie Yonge and his grandchildren Phillip Yonge and Mason Yonge. Phil is predeceased by his sons Phillip Delany Yonge, and Robert Holbein Yonge and his brother Jim Yonge.
Born in Miami Beach, FL on April 13, 1935 to James Ernest Yonge and Margaret Reeves Delany Yonge, Phil made the most of his youth in South Florida, spending time with friends at the beach or camping in the Everglades, while attending Coral Gables High School (Class of 1954), where he excelled as a member of legendary Coach Nick Koty’s Cavalier football teams. He also cherished his time as a member of the Stags Fraternity. After a very brief stop at Florida State University, Phil attended Stetson University in Deland, FL, where he was a two-way lineman for the Hatters’ football team, was a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity, and graduated with a degree in Mathematics in 1959. From Deland, Phil proceeded to serve in the United States Army as a missile platoon leader in El Paso, TX, Richland, WA, and Newport News, VA.
After his time in the military, Phil returned to school, obtaining a degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Florida in 1964, and began his corporate career with Texas Instruments in Dallas, TX and then Martin Marietta in Orlando, FL. While at Martin, Phil studied for the Florida General Contractor’s Exam and in 1973 started his first company, Yonge-Evans, which built homes in the Winter Park, FL area. He then relocated to Orange Park, FL to partner with his brother James to develop and build residential communities in North Florida. Over the next 40 years, Phil was the President of AY Ventures, Inc., which developed multiple residential and commercial properties in the area, enabling him to do one of the things he loved most – load up one of his big black Labrador Retrievers (Charlie, Blue, and Blue) in to the truck and visit one of his construction sites. Phil also owned and operated several local businesses, including The Club Continental and Doctors Lake Marina. When not working and strategizing on his next deal, Phil enjoyed spending time with friends and family on his boat Ol’ Blue in Green Turtle Cay, Bahamas, or at PDY Farm in Greenville, FL. Phil, also known as Pally to his friends, could never sit still and found joy in a varied number of pursuits, including engine repair, lobster diving, beekeeping, cattle and chicken raising, and camellia judging (taking great pride in his certification as a camelia competition judge). When not doing (or often in conjunction with) one of these activities, Phil could be found aflight in one of his Cessnas ferrying people and/or boat supplies to and from the Abacos. He could also be seen regularly on the sidelines of his grandchildrens’ lacrosse games, making sure to let everyone know that his grandchild was the one who just scored or made a good play. Phil served as senior warden of the vestry at St. James Episcopal Church in Quitman, Ga, and was actively involved in helping the Church with whatever project needed to be completed. He loved late night talks over a bottle of wine about politics, Florida Gators football, or the intricacies of the latest thing that he had taught himself, like solar power, soil mechanics, or mutual fund analytics. His generosity was legendary, he wanted nothing more than for the people in his life to be comfortable, happy, and healthy – usually affirmatively responding to any request with “ok partner” or “ok sweetheart”.
A Memorial Service will be held on May 11th, at 11am, at St. James Episcopal Church, Quitman, Ga. In lieu of flowers, a Memorial donation may be made to the Brooks County Boys & Girls Club, PO Box 588, Quitman Ga. 31643 or McKee Botanical Garden, 350 US Highway 1, Vero Beach, Fla. 32962. A Celebration of Life Party will be held in Orange Park, Fla. at a later date. Arrangements have been made by Carson McLane Funeral Services in Valdosta, Ga. Condolences to the family may be conveyed on the obituary page at www.mclanecares.com.