Philip Rizzo was born in Rochester, N.Y. in 1927 and lived there until he joined the U.S. Coast Guard at seventeen years of age. Upon discharge from the Coast Guard he spent three years studying commercial art at Rochester Institute of Technology, after which he worked at the Rochester Times Union as an ad designer.
He served in the Army during the Korean conflict and was assigned as part of the occupation of Germany serving a year and a half in the Corp of Engineers. His job was teaching troops how to build floating bridges.
He married his first wife while serving in the Army. On his return to the USA, Phil and his wife moved to Phoenix. He became an Advertising Manager for the 42 Safeway Stores in Arizona. After six years they moved to the Los Angeles area. Phil also worked in advertising for the now defunct Market Basket grocery chain. Then he started Rizzo Graphics. He served as a printing broker for some seventeen years before retiring.
Phil attended Orange Grove Meeting for several years and became a member in March of 2003. He and Susann Nation were married in the Manner of Friends on August 26, 2000 in the Orange Grove Meetinghouse. After their marriage, they moved to Valencia, CA.
Phil was a docent for the SW Museum for about 10 years and was involved in presenting local Indian life to school children. For the Placerita Canyon Nature Center, he adapted his program to reflect local Santa Clarita Indian life and presented it to local children there.
He was a member of a men’s group for about 15 years that often met in the Orange Grove Meetinghouse.
Phil is survived by his wife, Susann Nation Rizzo. He is also survived by his four children, Carol Rizzo, Nancy Rizzo Brandt, Regina Rizzo and Mark Philip Rizzo, in addition to ten grandchildren and one great-grand child.
Phil died November 12, 2011.