Philip Rutherford Glotfelty III, M.D.

At the turn of a new day, Thursday, October 28, 2021, Philip Rutherford Glotfelty III, M.D., 88, of Marshall, stepped into the Kingdom of God. He made the transition from his Marshall home of 57 years surrounded by his loving wife, Marlene, daughter, Rebecca and the thoughts of those who loved him.  His passing was due to complications from Covid-19 and Alzheimer's Disease.

Philip was born September 2, 1933, in Carbondale, Illinois, to Rev. Philip and Rev. Alma (Buess) Glotfelty.  His active youth was spent exploring woods, attending church events within the United Methodist Church, bird watching with neighbors, sailing at Culver Military Academy, and participating in Boy Scouts.  His life-long love of scouting was well-known by family and friends.  In 1949, Phil was presented with the Eagle Scout Award with his proud parents at his side. He felt the same pride when his sons, Philip and Steve, and grandsons, Philip and Parker, achieved the same distinction.  Later in life, Phil was honored with the Silver Antelope from the Boy Scouts of America, one of Scouting's highest awards. The recognition was preceded by a Distinguished Eagle and Silver Beaver award.

Phil attended numerous Boy Scout Jamborees throughout his life, beginning with the second World Boy Scout Jamboree held at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania.  President Truman opened the event on June 30, 1950, with a speech about international cooperation: “When you work and live together, and exchange ideas around the campfire, you get to know what the other fellow is like. That is the first step toward settling world problems in a spirit of give and take, instead of fighting about them.”  Truman encouraged the Scouts to travel abroad to learn about other counties.

Phil took these words to heart, taking his family to the 1975 Boy Scout World Jamboree in Norway. It was a memorable event for the entire family.  Phil continued to attend jamborees and other Scouting events as a volunteer physician until his medical retirement. Never one to slow down, Phil volunteered at the “Sit and Chew” mess hall at the 2013 National Jamboree, which took place at the Summit Bechtel Reserve in West Virginia.

Phil lived by the Boy Scout Motto, “Be Prepared,” and could be depended on by his family to answer a phone call, help change a tire, or offer advice at any time of the day or night.  One could always count on his having a band-aid in his wallet and a jackknife in his pocket.

As preacher's kid, Phil lived in several towns throughout his youth. He attended Battle Creek's Urbandale Elementary School and graduated from Lowell High School 1951.  He was fiercely proud of his alma mater, Albion College, from which he received his Bachelor of Science in Pre-Med.  He was delighted when his daughter, Martha, and son, Steve, became Britons. To his family's chagrin, Phil would recite Albion's “Lo Triumphe” at every opportunity with fellow alums. A couple days before his passing, friends gathered at Phil's bedside to chant “Lo Triumphe” one last time.

Phil gave his life to Christ at an early age and was driven to love and help other people. “I wanted to do more than just pray for people's health,” he would say.  He graduated from Wayne State University with his Doctor of Medicine Degree in 1959.

In the fall of 1955, during his first year of medical school, Phil was introduced to a young nurse, Marlene J. Woelfle.  She soon became the love of his life.  Even though she was nine months his senior, and perhaps a fraction of an inch taller, Phil was not dissuaded.  He proposed, and they married on August 25, 1956, at the Pinnebog United Methodist Church with Phil's father officiating.

The couple and their growing family lived in Detroit while Phil completed medical school and his four year surgical residency. They moved to Marshall in 1964, and Phil started his family and general surgical practice in 1965.  He served as a physician until 2000, playing a substantial part in the advancement of medical services at Oaklawn Hospital.

He believed in service-above-self and took medical calls at home at all hours of the day or night. It was not uncommon for him to suddenly pull up to a house (with his children in tow) to check on the well-being of an elderly or sick patient. He always offered a cheerful, “Hey!  How ya doin'?” as he buzzed by people in the halls of the hospital or on the streets of Marshall.

He had a strong faith in both God and science, living by the oath, “First, do no harm.”  Every day of his career, he dutifully donned his surgical gown and surgical mask to prevent the spread of disease and infection to his patients. He always got his yearly flu vaccination and encouraged his friends and family to do the same.

Phil always strived to do right by his family and provide them with all they needed. More important than material possessions, Phil gave of his time, attending all his children's sporting events, dance and music recitals, helping with 4-H, assisting his wife with Garden Club projects and with his daughter's home renovation.  His boundless energy earned him the nickname “Energizer Bunny.”  In addition to caring for his patients and family, Phil was a longtime member of many organizations, including Marshall Rotary, Marshall Historical Society (of which he was the former President), Marshall School Board, Calhoun County Fair board, Calhoun County Medical Society, and the Marshall United Methodist Church.

Like his father, Phil was dyslexic and worked extraordinarily hard to succeed in school.  Throughout his life, especially in the later years, Phil was the model of determination and perseverance in the face of many challenges, the greatest being his struggle with Alzheimer's.  It was during this time that Phil revealed his enormous capacity to love and continue to be of service to the Lord.  Phil led and comforted his family as he took his final steps toward the Lord.  "We have to remember, we all come from a miracle," he professed a few days before his passing. "We're all angels."

Alzheimer's was personally devastating to Phil, but he made the decision not to be consumed by bitterness.  He began to celebrate the little joys of life, strolling around the yard to collect a bouquet of flowers for Marlene.  Phil always led grace before dinner, mentioning friends and family, far and near.  No matter the meal, he'd proclaim, “This is really good!”  Just after his 88th birthday, Phil strolled the yard with his youngest daughter.  He bent over, cane in hand, to pick up the tiniest flower from a crack in the sidewalk. “Here,” he said handing it to her. “This is for you.” Sitting together in the  back yard, he would proclaim,  "This is paradise!”  continuing to acknowledge his good fortune.

Phil's world grew smaller in many ways due to Alzheimer's, but it also grew larger as he focused on the many little miracles around him.  It seemed his hearing grew better by the day, and his eyesight, as well.  To his daughter's dismay, he'd spot a bug no bigger than a speck on the sidewalk and try to smoosh it with his cane.  Phil put extraordinary effort to keep functioning despite the disease.  He'd check the calendar to know what day it was or whose birthday it may be. He'd check his phone to learn about the weather conditions in the areas where his children lived.  He even kept up with current events, especially concerning the pandemic.  When his daughter would call and ask how he was, he'd reply  "I'm Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!"   He even tried saying it when he was in the hospital with Covid.

"It's a beautiful day.  I'm sitting on the back porch, looking out onto the yard,”  he'd say to callers, even though it may be raining or snowing.  Despite Alzheimer's, Phil's wit and humor never left him.  While in the hospital, Phil listened to a conversation between his wife and the nurse.  The nurse shared that she had moved several times during her life. Phil chimed in, "Are the police after you?"

In his final days, God bestowed Phil with the clarity of mind so that he could share his love with his family.  His loving wife ensured that Phil would be able to pass away in the home in which so many beautiful memories had been created with his family.

On the Friday before his passing, Phil's daughter declared, “Dad, you may have forgotten a lot of things due to Alzheimer’s, but you remembered all the important things.”

Without skipping a beat, Phil replied, "I never forgot when someone did something nice for me."

Phil you will not be forgotten.  You have done wonderful things for your family, friends, and  community.  It's time for you to soar with the angels!

Philip is survived by his wife of 65 years, Marlene, his children; Philip (Suzi) R Glotfelty IV of Cincinnati, Ohio; Stephen (Cheryll) Glotfelty of Sparks, Nevada; Martha (Peter) J. Jennings of Winston-Salem, North Carolina; and Rebecca (Jerry) Glotfelty of Charlevoix/Calumet, Michigan,; his grandchildren Philip (Elle) Glotfelty, (Philip's mother-Victoria Lightfoot), Peter (Meredith) ) Glotfelty, Parker Glotfelty, Spencer Jennings, Gretchen (David) Bruner and Rosa (Robert) Landis; his great grandchildren Rudy Glotfelty, Sierra Bruner, and Calais Bruner; and by many dear friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents and his sister, Phyllis R. Maxwell and her children Greg and Leslie Maxwell.

Memorial contributions may be made in Phil's honor to the Alzheimer’s Foundation and the Marshall Community Foundation.

A memorial gathering will be held on Friday, May, 6, 2022 from 3:00 - 7:00 PM at Kempf Family Funeral Home 723 US Hwy 27 N, Marshall, Michigan 49068. A Celebration of Life service will take place on Saturday, May 7, 2022 at 11:00 am at the funeral home with Pastor Erin Fitzpatrick officiating. Following the Celebration of Life service, everyone is invited to the funeral home reception hall from 12:00 - 3:00 pm. Interment was at Oakridge Cemetery in Marshall. Please visit https://www.kempffuneralhome.com to view the online obituary, to sign the online guestbook. The family invites friends to share their memories of Phil on the online condolences page.