Phil Amerman Obituary
PHIL AMERMAN September 14, 1945 - May 29, 2017 Symington Phillips Landreth Amerman, 71, died peacefully at home on Memorial Day, after a battle with esophageal cancer. Only a week before he died he was sunning himself on the beach in Longboat Key smoking his favorite cigars. The second of four children, Phil was born September 14, 1945 in Sewickley, Pennsylvania, the son of The Reverend Lockhart Amerman and Louise Swain Landreth Amerman.He attended Sewickley Academy, the Salisbury School, and Princeton University ('67), where he majored in Near Eastern Studies.
As early as eighth grade, Phil wanted to join the U. S. State Department and work in the Middle East. But the Viet Nam War took him first to the Far East.Phil served with the 173rd Airborne Brigade in Viet Nam from September 1968 to September 1969, receiving the Air Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, the Combat Infantry Badge and the Bronze Star for valor. After his service in Viet Nam, he attended the Foreign Service Institute, and the University of Istanbul.
Phil's career with the U.S.Conversant in French and Turkish, Phil enjoyed a lifelong love for languages, studying Arabic, Russian, Greek, and Urdu, with the ability to be rude or polite in several more languages. In 2002, he received an MA in Teaching from Agnes Scott College. Phil was married for a number of years to Jane Mahoney.His was an adventure-packed life of horseback-riding, sailing, scuba diving, fishing, sport shooting, judo and dart competitions, and extensive travel.
He was a fine raconteur and a gracious and generous host, a lover of good food and drink. He took great pleasure in cooking and entertaining.After years of distinguished service to his government and in the private sector, Phil retired in Atlanta GA. Each summer, he joined his siblings at the Amerman family "camp" on Tupper Lake in the Adirondack Mountains.
Phil read extensively, keeping current on the Middle East, devouring spy novels and the Sunday New York Times, a requisite to proper living.Except for the very regrettable incident with the elephants, he led a remarkable life. Phil is survived by his brother Peter (Cynthia) and sisters Emily (Jim Vagnoni) and Lucy (Jackson Haas), nieces Lyn Brabant and Anna Bullock (Joe Sullivan), and nephews Alexander Amerman, Ethan Bullock (Jeni Moeller), William Vagnoni, and Peter Vagnoni. A service of remembrance will be held on August 26, 2017 at 11:00 AM at St. James Church, 225 Walnut St. Bristol, PA 19007, followed by a celebration of his life at the King George Inn.
