Philip Jesus Gomez, 92, died on December 2, 2022 in his room at the Sunnyview Center in Butler, PA. He was born on May 26, 1930 in the town of Solares, near the city of Santander in northern Spain. He is the widowed husband of Susana Gomez (deceased June 27, 2012), step-father of Susana Burrell of Marriottsville, MD; step-father of Linda Cone of Rosedale, MD; father of Philip Gomez and his wife Patricia of Cranberry Township, PA; and step-grandfather of Charles Gillingham, Natalie Gillingham, and Brigitte Burrell; grandfather of Aaron Gomez, Sarah Gomez, and Michael Gomez. Mr. Gomez is predeceased by his parents Farbriciano and Maria Eugenia (Perez) Gomez.
Philip earned degrees in sociology and philosophy. He joined the Roman Catholic priesthood and supported humanitarian efforts in South Africa and Zimbabwe. He later came to the United States, left the priesthood, and married Susana Cone (neé Diaz). He served as a contract negotiator for what is now the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), a position that he enjoyed for 20 years. After retiring from the US federal government, he served for 10 years on the board of trustees of the Delmarva Foundation for Medical Care. His life reflected his love of people, of nature, and of education.
In lieu of flowers donations the family would like to have a memorial bench for Philip at one of the parks in Howard County. Philip loved nature and would go for daily walks at Centennial Park for decades, spent many hours enjoying nature’s beauty and the wonderful park system. For more information on the Memorial Gift program:
https://www.howardcountymd.gov/recreation-parks/sponsorships-memorials
Donations may be directed to the following Venmo account: @Susana-Burrell
Reflections on Philip Jesus Gomez (May 26, 1930 – December 2, 2022)
My name is Phil Gomez. My father, who we are remembering today, was also Philip Gomez; but we have different middle names. With his passing, I have been thinking about his life and the things he told me. Below is a bit of history and some reflections on my father, so that you might know him a bit as I knew him.
My father, Philip Jesus Gomez, had a strong presence. It is not just that he was physically strong – though he was surprisingly so – but when he was in a room, you knew he was there. He was a bit loud and outspoken (interestingly, I am just the opposite). He had a unique laugh that he enjoyed sharing with others. Perhaps that is why, with his passing, his absence is so noticeable.
EARLY LIFE
Dad was born on May 26, 1930 in the town of Solares, near the city of Santander in northern Spain. He told me he was the sixth of seven children, born in a little house on a farm or homestead of very humble means. Dad told me about playing futbol (soccer) with family and friends, of arguing over food at meals, of taking naps with the cows. And usually, he would recount those days with a big smile.
The Spanish Civil War happened during his childhood, from 1936-1939. My father did not speak much about it or events related to it; but, I understand that there were tensions in the family related to it. Looking back, I think the war and related events shaped his childhood and his perspective on many matters. (As a side note, Ernest Hemmingway’s book For Whom The Bell Tolls is set during the Spanish Civil War; and Hemmingway was one of my father’s favorite writers. His favorite book by Hemmingway was The Old Man and The Sea.)
Dad told me that when he was young, he had a desire to leave the farm and pursue education. There was a competition that he participated in when he was 12 or 13 years old, which was related to learning about the teachings (catechism) of the Roman Catholic church. He said that he worked very hard and won the competition, earning a title that he would translate as “Emperor of Catechism.” He was so proud of that accomplishment.
The prize was about 12 years of schooling at no cost. I believe he was 13 years old when he left home for a Catholic boarding school where he would begin his education. He would not return to his farm home again. Later, he would become a priest.
GRADUATION AND HUMANITARIAN WORK
My father went on to study at the University of Valladolid in Spain and graduated with degrees in sociology and philosophy. (Another side note: Looking back, it makes perfect sense. My father loved people. He liked to talk, laugh, and argue. So, of course, he studied sociology and philosophy.)
He also learned several languages. He was comfortable with Spanish, Latin, Italian, and English. I believe he could also speak some Portuguese and French.
After graduating, my father served as part of a diplomatic service of the Vatican in Pretoria, South Africa. He spent a few years there doing humanitarian work, but he did not talk much about that time with me.
However, afterward he went to a coal-mining town that was then called Wankie in West Rhodesia. Today, the area is known as Hwange, Zimbabwe. It is very close to Victoria Falls, one of the largest waterfalls in the world. My understanding is that at this time he was working with the Peace Corps; but it is unclear to me if he was still also working with the Roman Catholic church.
My father had very fond memories of his time in Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) and he was pleased that he could help the poor there. He worked with the authorities to change the local policies to allow the students to obtain more extensive education and give them the opportunity to do other work than for the coal mines. He worked to build at least two new schools there; and he assisted with the agricultural and medical systems. Also, Dad picked up another language that he called “Chinambia,” which I think is more commonly known as Nambya.
THE UNITED STATES, MARRIAGE, AND FAMILY
My dad left Africa around 1963 and came to America, where he now wanted to settle. He served as a teacher of Spanish in several states, including West Virgina, Kentucky, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. I am not exactly sure how the following events happened, but sometime before 1973, while he was travelling the US and raising funds for the schools in Zimbabwe, my father met a widow, Susana Cone (neé Diaz), and her two daughters, Sue and Linda.
Susana was from Spain as well. They were introduced by the priest at the church where she was attending because of their mutual connection to Spain. When they met, Susana was recently widowed; her first husband, lieutenant John Cone, served in the US Navy and had brought her to the United States.
My father determined to make a change. He left the priesthood. He married Susana. Her daughters became his daughters; and later my sisters when I was born at the end of 1973.
We lived in Cherry Hill, New Jersey for the first six years of my life. My father landed a job as a contract negotiator for the US federal government, in what was then called the Healthcare Financing Administration (HCFA), which is now the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). He enjoyed this job and, looking back, I can see that this job was a great fit for him as he loved talking, debating, and negotiating with people.
Around 1979, we moved to Columbia, Maryland. I entered elementary school around this time and I remember that my Dad was always very proud of me. We lived in a couple of different houses and my parents made many friends in the area. Our last house was very close to a large park, called Centennial Park, and my father would often enjoy walking the trails there.
GENERAL REFLECTIONS
I should mention a few other things about my Dad so that you might know him better. He loved being in natural settings, which I think reminded him of his childhood. For most of his life, he would walk for at least an hour a day – no exaggeration – around local parks and fields. He would do so in all kinds of weather. He walked like this up until the last few years of his life.
When Apple Computer started selling personal computers, my father recognized that these devices would have a big impact on work and life. He encouraged me to learn about computers – which I did and eventually made my career with them – but he avoided them. I think he was more comfortable with people and nature, not buttons and screens.
My Dad loved my mother and he loved getting together with friends and family – both immediate and extended family. Growing up, we usually ate dinner together. We visited Spain a few times when I was young and he visited a few more times without me. He loved talking and laughing with his siblings and their families. When in Spain, conversations would always go on late into the night.
I don’t know all the details of my father’s relationship to the Roman Catholic church; but he did wrestle with the Bible and with Jesus as both the Son of God and a sacrifice for sins. It’s something we talked about on many occasions; and I think everyone should read the Bible and wrestle with it – after all, the apostle Peter said to Jesus: “…Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” [John 6:68]
FINAL YEARS
After 20 years, Dad retired from his work as a contract negotiator in 1995. He received an evaluation letter on his job performance in which he was called a “strict, but fair” negotiator. He treasured that comment.
A few years later, my father took a position on the board of trustees for the Delmarva Foundation for Medical Care. He served as an advisor in that position for 10 years and greatly helped them grow their operations. It was the last work that he would do.
In his later years, he was diagnosed with dementia, which manifested mostly as a declining short-term memory. He never forgot who I was; but he would struggle to remember what he did the previous week, the day before, or even that morning. Yet, even to very late in life, he could still recall the house where he grew up and the surrounding countryside in Spain.
We moved him to Pennsylvania to be closer to me in 2018. He breathed his last on December 2, 2022.
Thank you for letting me share these memories of my father with you.
Pennsylvania services through SPENCER D. GEIBEL FUNERAL HOME & CREMATION SERVICES, 140 NEW CASTLE RD. BUTLER, PA 16001 WWW.SPENCERDGEIBEL.COM