Phillip Dennis Rumrill (Phil) Sr., of Charlestown NH, aged 80, passed away peacefully on February 11, 2026, in Winchester, NH.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Beverly (Anderson) and Harry Rumrill, Jr.; brother, Douglas; brother-in-laws, Robert Farnsworth, Jr. and L.G. (Butch) Martin; and beloved wife of 58 years, Shirley (Farnsworth) Rumrill.

Phil is survived by son, Phillip Jr. and daughter-in-law, Amy Rumrill; daughters, Leanne Finnell and Carina Rumrill (Dana Cobb); 14 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren; sister, Cheryl Martin; brother Melvin Rice (Gretchen); sister in-law Irene Rice; brother in-law, Roger (Elaine) Farnsworth; brother-in-law, Rick Farnsworth (Candy Durkee); best friend and neighbor, Scott Clark; many nieces, nephews, and cousins; and a lifetime of cherished friends.

Phil was born on March 9, 1945, in Brattleboro, VT, and he grew up in Bellows Falls and Westminster West, VT. He attended Bellows Falls High School and Keene State College, but formal education was not the primary method Phil would employ for his vast education and cultivation of skills and talents; he was self-taught in nearly everything he did. He married his high school sweetheart, Shirley (Farnsworth) in 1967, and they lived for the rest of their lives in Westminster, VT and Charlestown, NH.

Phil served in the United States Marine Corps from 1965 to 1969, including a deployment as a Combat Engineer in Vietnam. Phil was self-employed for most of his career, working as a home builder, carpenter, logger, and property manager. He built Shirley and their kids a house on Pine Banks Road in Westminster, VT by consulting books and becoming a student, and then master, of home building. By all accounts, there was nothing Phil could not figure out how to do if he put his mind to it. His talents and aptitudes were boundless.

Phil was a voracious reader and a folk and country music enthusiast, followed politics and current events, was a gourmet cook and adventurous eater, and enjoyed fishing and being outdoors. He marveled at sunsets, clouds, and anything sky-related; and kept busy in his free time helping friends and relatives with home repair projects. He was well known by all who knew him for his keen intellect, his incisive wit and wry sense of humor, his sensitivity to the needs of others, his ability to talk with anyone on any subject with kindness and compassion, his outrageous practical jokes, his work ethic, his staunch anti-authoritarianism, his love of family, his generosity of spirit, his soft spot for children and animals (wild and domesticated alike), and his endless stories (most of which were probably true). He will be deeply missed, but never forgotten by all who knew and loved him.

Phil’s family will convene a celebration of life for him and his wife, Shirley (who passed away in November) in early May.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Vermont Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired.

Arrangements have been entrusted to the care of the Fenton and Hennessey Funeral Home, 55 Westminster Street, Bellows Falls, VT.