Philip F. "Phil" Day

Philip F. Day "Phil", 76, of Hadley, passed away on Sunday, November 20, 2022, with his family by his side after a long and courageous battle with Alzheimer’s disease. Born November 7th, 1946, to the late Mildred (Rice) and Francis Day in Boston, MA, he was educated in Reading schools.  He attended Georgetown University for his freshman year (and Bill Clinton was his class president), majoring in Foreign Service.  While there, he traveled with a group of classmates to help register minority voters in Alabama.  Phil left Georgetown and transferred to UMass Amherst and majored in English graduating in 1968 with a BA. In 1969, he and friends heard on the radio that there was a music festival and traveled to New York landing behind the stage at Woodstock. After graduating from college, he moved to California to experience the Haight-Ashbury lifestyle for a few years, before returning to the Pioneer Valley. In 1976 he discovered Alcoholics Anonymous and got sober, thus the beginning of his spiritual path. He had 46 years of sobriety at the time of his death through AA. He used his personal experiences, strength and hope to help other people find their path. Phil had a passion for running and jogged daily. He completed many area road races including the Bridge of Flowers. He furthered his education by going to UConn and graduating in 1989 with a Master’s of Social Work and became a LICSW. He worked both outpatient and inpatient in the addiction field at Providence Health and Baystate Health systems. Phil also taught counseling at Westfield State University for many years.  He developed the program for Quarry Hill rehabilitation center in Westfield.  A Clinical Supervisor at the Beacon Clinic and Beacon Recovery Center, he helped many people work towards their sobriety.  Phil became the Program Director at Baystate Medical Center’s inpatient and outpatient substance use treatment programs.  Ending his career in 2015, Phil retired from the East Spoke Psychiatric Unit of Baystate Franklin Medical Center. Phil married Janice Peterson "Jan", the love of his life, settling down in Hadley, MA.  They celebrated their 25th anniversary this year.  He instantly became an adored stepfather to Kim (Kevin) Herlihy of Greenfield, MA and Amy (Jeremy) Gibson of Bedford NH and later a wonderful grandfather to Margaret "Maggie" and Ryan Herlihy, and Lauren and Nicholas "Nick" Gibson. Family was very important to Phil, and he especially enjoyed spending time with his loved ones for any and all events. Phil is predeceased by his brother, Stephen, earlier this year.  Besides his wife Janice and immediate family, Phil leaves behind his sister, Ellen (Peter) Rawlings of Billerica, MA; sister-in-law Cathy Day; nieces Christine (Paul) Bowie, Pam (Seth) Eberhardt-Ladd, Kim and Liz Day, and Julie Peterson; nephews Jeremy and Michael (Jenn) Peterson; grandnieces Bridget, Fiona and Zoey; brothers-in-law Bob and John (Maryanne) Peterson; sister-in-law Enid Peterson. Phil was a devout Catholic and had a strong faith. He was a longtime communicant of the Newman Catholic Center at UMass Amherst. The family would like to thank the wonderful Reflections staff of the Arbors at Amherst and PCAs of Mag Home Care. Calling hours will be held from 4:00 - 7:00 p.m. on Monday, November 28th at the Barry J. Farrell Funeral Home, 2049 Northampton St., Holyoke, MA.  A Mass of Christian Burial will take place the following day, Tuesday, November 29th at 10:00 a.m. at Most Holy Redeemer Church, 120 Russell Street, Hadley. Burial will follow at Saint Brigid’s Cemetery, Hadley. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of the Fisher Home, 1165 North Pleasant Street, Amherst, MA 01002, the Alzheimer's Association, the Lewy Body Dementia Association, or a charity of your choice, in Phil’s name.

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