We will remember Philip as being more of the spiritual world than the mortal world. In varying amounts he was a philosopher, humorist, literary artist and harmonica playing original. He had great insight into the Kimball family background which formed the basis for many of the character attributes, happenings and events in his published tales. His was the ability to reach back a few generations and give interest, life, and relevance to those long ago occurrences passed along in the family oral history.
And in his harmonica performances, in his garb to his bare feet and harmonica bag, he could have been from the Great Depression era, perhaps a contemporary of Woody Guthrie. He added a lot of originality to harmonica concerts.
He could see beyond the symbols and trivia which can occupy us and was an example of how we should not take ourselves too seriously. With Philip most things had a serious and a funny side.
We are indebted to Philip for enriching our lives with what we learned from him through his artistic written and verbal expressions.
For Philip’s precious soul –
‘ O Thou forgiver of sins, bestower of gifts, dispeller of afflictions!
Verily we beseech Thee to forgive the sins of such as have abandoned
the physical garment and ascended to the spiritual world.
O my Lord! Purify then from trespasses, dispel their sorrows and
change their darkness into light. Cause them to enter the garden of
happiness, cleanse them with the most pure water and grant them to
behold thy splendors from the loftiest mount.’