Philip John Söderlind, a retired airline pilot and loving husband of Marian “Rusty” Söderlind, died at his home on August 22, 2022. Philip was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1934 to Swedish first-generation parents, his Eleanor Bymark and her Dr. Ragnar Söderlind. Philip spent his formative years in Minneapolis, spending long summers and vacations at his family’s cabin in Marlene, St. Croix, Minnesota. The cabin was designed and built by his father in 1924, so it was a special place for the family. During his long stay with the Marines on St. Croix, Philip enjoyed building makeshift boats with his two older brothers, fishing, and playing badminton. During the winter, Philip was deer hunting along the river with his friend Tom Barris. Phil developed a love of mechanics and engines, as he is known to his friends and family.As a teenager, Phil built a hot rod out of his 1935 Ford. This vehicle was featured in a popular Hot Rod magazine of the time. His early interest in automobiles and motorcycles led to his fascination with aeronautics. Phil began his flying lessons when he was 16 and quickly transitioned from a small single-engine plane to his twin-engine DC-3. In 1956 he was hired by North Central Airlines. At North Central, Phil was just 23 years old and was soon promoted to captain. Phil’s career in aviation spans over 40 years of his career. He has flown anywhere in the mainland US, Osaka, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines and Australia. He became a leader in the field, piloting his large 747-200 Jumbo his jets and was eventually hired to write the Boeing 757 operating manual. While Phil was stationed in Chicago, he met a young flight attendant named Marian “Rusty” Morgan. Rusty loved to tell the story of how he fell in love with a handsome captain and swapped flights with a fellow flight attendant to spend more time with him.Philip and Rusty fell in love, Eventually he got married in 1966 and started a family. The young family moved from the Chicago area and settled in Scottsdale, Arizona in 1976. Rusty and Phil were married for over 50 years until Rusty died in 2018 due to complications from Alzheimer’s disease. Phil retired on his birthday, June 19, 1994. He started a secondary career. He worked at his NATCO in Eagan, Minnesota, training new pilots. While at NATCO, Philip met Aviv Kivity. Aviv Kivity is the co-founder of the software company Avionitek, which developed the first in-flight flight he computer. Phil has worked with Israeli companies for several years, consulting on pilot interactions with computer technology. In his later years Phil, always looking for ways to master new techniques, spent his spare time buying and repairing mechanical watches of all kinds. He had a special interest in cuckoo clocks. He often repaired watches for his neighbors and sometimes gave them away as gifts. Well known in the local community, Phil has shared fond memories and kind words with everyone who met him, including mailman, dry his cleaner, dog groomer, housekeeper, and his financial advisor. left. Philippe was a famous animal lover throughout his life and he always had at least one dog of his. His last dog, Toby, was by his side when he died. Philip is survived by his children, Jenny Ouimet and Philip Soderlind II, and his grandchildren Nelson, Griffin, Hudson, Bennett, Matt, Chris, Jake, Nancy and Henry.
Posted online on August 27, 2022
Published in Arizona Republic
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