Philip Martin Upman

Philip Martin Upman passed away peacefully on January 13, 2016, in the caring environment of the Gilchrist Center in Howard County.  He was born at 40 Mellor Avenue in Catonsville, Maryland, to Philip Thomas and Evelyn Updyke Upman on March 4, 1936.  He is survived by his wife, Mary Hurst Upman, his sister Beverly Upman Carter, his brother, Francis Gilbert Upman, his first wife, Irene Fairhurst Ladner, two grandchildren, Danielle Irene Upman and Colton Jeffrey Upman, His daughter-in-law, Vicky Upman.Cousins, nieces, nephews and their families. His two sons, Philip James Upman and Jeffrey Mark Upman, sadly predeceased.

Philip attended St. Mark Elementary  School in Catonsville, Maryland, for Grades 1 through 3.  He then attended St. Edwards Elementary School in Baltimore for Grades 4 through 8 and Gwynn Falls Jr. High School for the 9th grade.  When his father was offered a position at Acme Visible Records in Crozet, Virginia, he moved his family to Mirador Farms in Greenwood where Philip attended a small country school, Greenwood School, for Grades 10 and 11.  He completed his high school diploma at Albemarle High School in Charlottesville, Virginia.

On August 7, 1954, Philip enlisted in the United States Air Force.  He was assigned to receive training as a dental laboratory technician at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama.  He received orders to do a tour of duty at Burtonwood RAF Station in Warrenton, England.  After he completed this phase of his dental lab training, he was assigned to a series of different duty stations that included further periods of service in England, a 3-year assignment to Aviano Air Force Base in Northern Italy, an assignment to Hamilton Air Force Base in Novato, California and a tour of duty at the U Tapao Royal Thai Naval Air Base in Sattihip, Thailand.  He served in the U.S. Air Force for 20 years, retiring as a Technical Sergeant.

For several years Philip managed his own dental laboratory, Upman Dental Studio, in New Port Richey, Florida.   While doing this he studied at St. Leo College in St. Leo, Florida, with a major in Psychology.  He then decided to close his dental lab and change his career field.  He was employed as a high school career counselor from 1981 until 1993.  At that point he and his wife decided that they wanted to live in Maryland.  They moved to Westminster and his wife accepted a teaching position at North Carroll High School in Hampstead.  Philip volunteered as an assistant to the U.S. Air Force recruiter stationed in Westminster.  He also volunteered in the Guidance Department at Westminster High School.  Here he served as an assistant to the registrar, his niece Cynthia Carter Rallo.

In 2006 Philip and his wife moved from Westminster to Ellicott City and they both joined St. Mark Church in Catonsville.  The return to his boyhood parish has brought him spiritual comfort.  He was also helped during his 18 month fight against metastatic prostate cancer by the outstanding medical team at the St. Agnes Cancer Clinic in Baltimore and Gilchrist Hospice Care in Columbia, Maryland.