Donald Herman Phillips, 85, of Yorktown, VA, passed away peacefully on April 16, 2026, following a brief illness. A physicist, dedicated conservationist, and lifelong outdoorsman, Don left a mark on both the scientific community and the natural landscapes he fought to protect.
Born in Knoxville, TN, to Ruth and Sanford Phillips, Don was a standout athlete, attending Tennessee Tech on a football scholarship and graduating with a BS in Physics in 1962. His academic journey continued with a PhD from Virginia Tech in 1971 and NASA Langley Research Center’s Thompson Fellowship which supported a sabbatical at Harvard in 1980. Don’s professional legacy was defined by a distinguished career at NASA, which began in 1963. After early work in radiation and nondestructive materials, he focused on atmospheric ozone models.
Following his retirement in 2000, Don’s passion for the environment became his primary mission. He was instrumental in halting the King William Reservoir project to preserve the natural habitats of the Mattaponi River. His commitment to his community extended to serving on the York County Planning Commission, where he was a fierce advocate for public education and environmental preservation. An insatiable reader and thinker, he shared his insights on a variety of issues through his blog.
Some of Don’s happiest moments were spent outdoors: sailing the Chesapeake Bay and hunting deer and turkey with the West Point Hunt Club. In the 1970s he ventured into local theater taking the stage in productions of 1776, My Fair Lady, and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, with the Peninsula Community Theater.
He is survived by his wife, Jan D. Phillips, and four children, Donna Phillips, Debbie Settles (husband Joe), Jenifer Linthwaite (husband Eric), and Claiborn Phillips (wife Michelle), and six cherished grandchildren: Emily and Alison Settles, Eowyn and Athelwulf Linthwaite, and Cambria and Mira Phillips.
A private memorial service is planned for a later date. Don will be interred at Grace Episcopal Church in Yorktown, VA.
Instead of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Sierra Club in his memory.
