Former Fremont County legislator Frank A. Philp, 67, died Sunday, March 8, 2015, at Sage West Health Care in Riverton, after a tenacious battle with a rare blood disorder. Funeral services are planned for Friday, March 13, at 11 a.m., at St. Margaret’s Catholic Church in Riverton with Father Jim Heiser officiating. Graveside services will be at 10 a.m., on Saturday, March 14, at Riverside Cemetery in Thermopolis. A rosary will take place at 7 p.m., on Thursday, March 12, at Davis Funeral Home in Riverton.
Francis Alexander “Frank” Philp was born in Casper, Wyoming on December 23, 1947, the son of John and Ann Philp. He grew up on the 100 year old family sheep ranch in Lysite, Wyoming and attended Lysite’s one-room school for grades 1-8; he graduated from Shoshoni High School in 1966, attended Casper College for 2 years, and graduated from the University of Wyoming in 1970, where he received his Bachelor’s Degree in Range Management from the College of Agriculture.
Frank married the love of his life, Janet Zupan, a public school educator and administrator, in 1974 and they had one daughter, Alexandra Philp. The family owned and resided on a farm in Hidden Valley, and at the time of Frank’s death, lived for a while in Thermopolis. Frank always loved the ranching lifestyle and remained involved in his family’s diversified farming and ranching business, which included range cattle and sheep, integrated with a farming and feeding operation.
First elected to the Wyoming Legislature in 1992, representing House District No. 34 in Fremont County, Frank served for 18 years in the Wyoming House of Representatives, until he left for health reasons in 2010. His distinguished legislative career included service on several “select” committees including, Water, Tribal Relations, and School Capitol Construction; he also served on Education, the Agriculture and Natural Resources, Travel, Recreation and Wildlife Committees, but he became most well-known for his work on the House Appropriations Committee, where he served from 1999-2010, and as Chair of that committee from 2005-2010. He was proud of all the bills he introduced and was able to get passed, in particular, a bill funding a litigation account allowing the state to assist counties with legal fees when necessary to deal with federal natural resource issues, an above ground storage tank law that gave local businesses more time to comply with DEQ regulations; and several budget amendments to assist Wyoming Public Television with digital conversion and expansion of coverage throughout Wyoming.
Frank’s service to the agricultural community was recognized in 2007, when he was inducted into the Wyoming Agricultural Hall of Fame; he also received the Wyoming Farm Bureau Distinguished Service Award in 2008, and the USDA honor award for service to agriculture. Frank also believed it was important to “give back” to your community, and was active in the Wyoming Wool Growers Assn., the National Grazing Steering Committee and many other organizations
Frank was best known for his infectious laugh, his tenacious spirit, his never-ending stories about oldtimers and ranch life, and his keen ability to listen to his constituents. As he quipped once, “I got some of my best work done in the grocery store”, where he would talk to people and listen to their concerns, always planning an extra hour for the trip. In addition to his dedication to public service, he also enjoyed reading, leatherwork, blacksmithing, training border collies and dutch oven cooking. His love for Wyoming and his friends was only exceeded by his love for his wife and family.
Frank is survived by his wife Janet, his daughter Alexandra (Aley), and fiancée Thomas Sheredy, and his grandson John; his mother Kathleen Ann Philp, brother Rob, and wife Gloria; Sisters, Diana and husband Dick Currah; Elizabeth Philp and husband Jerry Dilts, and Dorothy and fiancée Thomas Mattsson. Sisters-in-law Susan Zupan, Nancy and husband Hays Shoop, brothers-in-law John Zupan, Tom and wife MariaSol Zupan. He has numerous nieces and nephews and was preceded in death by his father John Innes Philp.
In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to: KCWC/Wyoming Public Television; Shoshoni Senior Citizens Center, the University of Wyoming College of Agriculture or the donor’s choice.
On-line condolences may be made to the family at www.TheDavisFuneralHome.com.
Services under the direction of Davis Funeral Home.