Obituary of Phillip Stephen McIntyre

Phill McIntyre

September 5, 1955 to April 8, 2026

How does one even begin to describe the life of a man like Phill McIntyre in just a few short paragraphs? He was so many things to so many people. Loving husband. Adoring father. Treasured son. Cool Uncle Phill. Friend. Neighbour. Coach. The list can go on and on. He held a special place in the hearts of all who knew him.

Phill was born in Wales, UK, and immigrated to Canada with his parents at the age of four. While he always maintained a deep connection to Wales through family, he was, in his heart, a proud Canadian. He was predeceased by his parents, Molly (2016) and Graham (2023).

Phill married his soulmate Lisa in 1994 and they spent 31 wonderful years together raising their two sons Nathan and Brendan. Phill was so proud of the men that his sons have become. His boys were the apple of his eye—and the feeling was mutual. Phill was happiest when surrounded by his family, whether on vacations (cruising was his favourite), camping trips in the trailer, at hockey tournaments and baseball games, or simply enjoying everyday moments at home. As Lisa lovingly reflects, “I feel like we were just getting started, and we need at least another 25 years to even come close to completing our journey together.”

As an only child, Phill’s world was once small, but it grew in the best possible way when he met Lisa in 1989. He was warmly welcomed into her family and became an honorary member of the Lindsay clan, gaining new brothers and sisters in Jerry, Jeff, Terry, Leslie, and Doug, and mother-in-law Mollie.  He also gained new cousins Penny and Phil, who held the position of sister and brother in his heart.  Add to that his many nephews and one niece (his favourite niece as he always called her) — and Phill became a deeply loved and cherished member of an extended family that meant so much to him.

Phill dedicated more than 30 years of service to Canada Post, working as a letter carrier, supervisor, and route measurement officer. After retiring in 2017, he enjoyed spending more time at home with his family. He was also a passionate supporter of hockey, serving for over 15 years as an organizer of the Canada Post International Hockey Tournament, where he built many lasting friendships with colleagues from across Canada and the United States.

From 2000 to 2019, Phill coached minor hockey with the London Bandits and Laurier High School Hockey. Coaching was one of Phill's passions and he had a special gift for working with young people. He taught players to respect the game, but more importantly to respect themselves. He always said that his goal of coaching was not to win championships, but to build championship men. His dedication was recognized with several honours over the years, including Coach of the Year in 2008, the Alliance Hockey Award of Merit in 2017, and Volunteer of the Year in 2019.

His retirement years were no less busy, when he was finally able to tackle that hoard of books he slowly built up. In 2021 Phill and Lisa left London and moved to The Bluffs at Huron in Goderich. They thought they were just buying a beautiful house by the lake, but what they found was a community of the most amazing, caring friends and neighbours. Phill was well known in the Bluffs, creating many new and lasting friendships. For Phill, retirement was more of a vacation, but he often found ways to keep himself busy: picking up the odd part time job, looking after his wife Lisa, caring for their home, or losing at Wizards and Mexican Trains with his neighbours. Wherever he went, Phill left an impact, smiling faces, and fond memories. 

This is only a brief, small glimpse into a life so fully and generously lived. Much too small for the life he lived. No words can describe how much he was loved and how much he will be missed.

At Phill's request, there will not be a service or visitation. You are invited to join us as we celebrate the amazing life of Phill McIntyre. We have planned two Celebration of Lifes for our family, friends, and colleagues both in London and Goderich. Please feel free to choose whichever time or location is most convenient for you and bring your best memory of Phill to share with us all.  

Sunday, May 17th

1:00-4:00 (eulogy and memories begin at 1:30)

In the Community Centre at The Bluffs at Huron - 9 Lake Breeze Drive, Goderich

Saturday, May 30th

1:00-4:00 (eulogy and memories begin at 1:30)

Lambeth Legion - 7097 Kilbourne Rd, London

The family extends heartfelt thanks to the doctors and nurses at Victoria Hospital, Goderich Hospital, and University Hospital for their compassion, kindness, and exceptional care. We are deeply grateful to all who supported Phill and our family over these past months.

Lisa, Nathan, and Brendan would like to thank all of our friends and family who stayed with us in the waiting room at UH, sleeping on the floor and on the much too small couches, and all of our neighbours and friends who have sent us such kind, caring messages. We love you all so much♥️

And finally, we would like to send a special thank you to cousin Andrew McIntyre for his support throughout Phill's cancer treatment. Phill looked forward to each and every day to his daily message of inspiration and encouragement. On the tough days, those messages made Phill's day a little brighter and he was looking forward to getting together again for a pint and many more laughs. 

We’ll meet again, one sunny day.