Obituaries

Mr. Gerdes, 70, died on Tuesday, April 7, 2009 at Levine Dickson Hospice House in Huntersville.  Born on August 22, 1938 in Wilmington, NC, Phillip was the son of the late John Henry and Jane Marie Rehder Gerdes, devout Lutherans, who instilled in him the values of hard work and an obligation to help the less fortunate.

Phillip graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill in 1960, and received his law degree from the university in 1964.  After law school, he moved his small family to Charlotte, where he practiced law for 45 years, serving on several BAR committees, as well as on the Board of the Legal Aid Society.

In 1968, he co-founded the inner-city Fellowship League to provide African-American boys the opportunity to play Pony league baseball in the then all-white Pony league. 

Phillip had a deep interest in helping the mentally challenged, and served as President of the Mecklenburg County ARC, and also served on the State Board.  In 1973, he co-founded St. Mark’s Center, now Lifespan, to provide services for the profoundly, developmentally disabled.  He also served as President of Nevins Center.

Phillip had a deep interest in local government, and he served on the NC State Social Services Commission, several local and state study commissions, and he served two terms on the Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners.

He loved history, art, and the out-of-doors, and he served as a member of the first Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Properties Commission, on the boards of the Center for Faith in the Arts, and the Mecklenburg County Historical Association.

As a long-time Board member and past Chairman of the Charlotte-area Salvation Army, he considered his involvement with the organization as being the best opportunity to serve the needy anywhere.

He loved his many friends and also enjoyed the conviviality of his relationships with fellow members of Myers Park Country Club, where he served as President.

He thanked God for His gifts of grace, the holy Catholic Church, the capacity to believe, his loving family and friends, and the exceptional existence he has through his faith.

Phillip is survived by his loving, caregiver wife, Evelyn Blythe Crutchfield Gerdes, his loving daughters Jane Elizabeth Gerdes and Amy Johanna Gerdes Phillip, her husband, Keith, his much-loved grandchildren Anna Blythe Moore, and David Ford Phillip, his niece Catherine Marie Gerdes, and his God-child, Elizabeth Woodbury Schuett.  He was preceded in death by his older brother Jon Henry Gerdes.

Memorials may be made to Levine-Dickson Hospice House, 11900 Vanstory Drive, Huntersville, NC 28078; St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, local social ministries, 1001 Queens Road, Charlotte, NC 28207, the Charlotte-area Salvation Army Command, P.O.Box 31128, Charlotte, NC 28231 and Center for Faith in the Arts, P.O.Box 4098, Salisbury, NC 28145-4098.

A memorial service will be 2:00 PM Thursday, April 9, 2009 at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, 1001 Queens Rd, Charlotte, NC.  A reception will follow at the church.  A graveside service in Oaklawn Cemetery, Wilmington, NC will be at a later date.