A Sunday afternoon memorial service is planned for Phil Harwick. Phil died Tuesday morning after a motorcycle accident on his way to work at SailCraft Services boatyard.
A fund has also been set up for his family -- his wife Elizabeth and his daughters, who are 5 and 3.
Phil Harwick had turned 33 just a week ago.
His death hit hard at SailCraft where Phil worked as a mechanic -- and more -- for four years.
Phil Harwick on a day out fishing with his family |
Those who knew Phil and worked with him, spoke about his work ethic, drive, and talents whether it was installing engines or fabricating metal work.
"They will be tough shoes to fill," says Mark Lucas, who rigs boats at SailCraft. "He really knew his stuff."
Kathy Lichter, SailCraft's office manager, had a similar view. "Phil could do everything. Diesel. Fiberglass. Run the TravLift." He was even, she says, "an excellent salesman."
"But his forte was mechanical."
Phil Harwick with his daughters |
Kathy's husband, Paul, recalled seeing Phil poring over manuals in the office. "He loved to read spec sheets."
"Phil was passionate about his work," says Turtle Midyette, who works at Sailcraft. "He really cared about what he did."
In addition to making sure the job was done right, Turtle says, Phil took pains to "make things look pretty."
That applied to the engine installs, and also to the metal work he did, fabricating custom pieces for boats.
Mark Lucas, the rigger at Sailcraft, says Phil's stainless steel work "looked like it came with the boat". He recalled a triple-welding where "you'd never know it was welded."
Some of that metal fabrication work was done after hours, Mark remembers. "It was tough to do in the day" when there were many other projects to attend to, but staying late, he could "be more artistic."
At Sailcraft, the shop where Phil did so much of his work |
Others also remember Phil often working long days, starting early and finishing late. Laughing thru tears Tuesday morning, Kathy Lichter said, "He drank a lot of coffee."
The day before he died, however, his co-workers say Phil was very clear that he had to leave earlier than usual to see his five-year old daughter, Casey in a gymnastics performance.
Kathy Lichter says Phil was a devoted father to Casey and her younger sister Abby, and a devoted husband as well. She remembers overhearing him always "sign off" his calls to his wife, Elizabeth, saying, "'I love you.'"
Phil Harwick moved to Pamlico County from Florida with his mother, Roxanne, when he was a teenager. Before working full-time at Sailcraft, he had operated his own business, Pamlico Diesel in Merritt. Colleagues say he'd also spent some time working on a tugboat and for a boatbuilder.
Phil had been driving his motorcycle from his home in Bayboro to work Tuesday morning when he hit a car on Highway 55 near Straight Road. It was a foggy morning. He died in the ambulance enroute to Craven Regional Medical Center.
A day after Phil's death, several people came by the office to donate some money for Phil's family. Kathy Lichter rounded up a coffee can -- the generic brand Phil drank so much of -- and put in to service. It seemed fitting, she says. Those who wish to donate may do so there and at several other locations in town, or by mailing contributions to SailCraft.
Sunday's memorial service starts at 2pm. It will be held at China Grove, on Janeiro Road outside Oriental.
Phil Harwick leaves a wife and two young daughters. Contributions may be made by mail to:
Sailcraft Service
Phil Harwick Fund
PO Box 99
Oriental, NC 28571
Elizabeth and Phil Harwick |
