Phil passed away at 10:00 am Tuesday in Melbourne, Florida after fighting a battle with liver cancer. Phil had been residing in assisted living at the Brookshire after suffering a severe stroke in March of 2021. The stroke left him with a speech disability called aphasia. He underwent speech and physical therapy which helped, but he was determined to do whatever he could to regain his physical strength. While still at a skilled nursing facility, he managed to locate a stationary bike and put as much mileage as he could. After moving to assisted living he went to the gym almost every day with his friend Steve. They worked out until he was hospitalized a few weeks prior to his passing. His condition worsened rapidly, and interventional treatment was not an option.

Born in Johnson City, Tennessee, Phil moved with his family to Richmond, Virginia at the age of 6. Before school, he and his younger brother had newspaper routes and during the summer played Little League baseball. As a teenager, Phil worked as a caddy on the golf course of a local country club. After graduating from Midlothian High School, Phil later went into the construction business, mainly as a painter. His business evolved into remodeling. He had the ability to look at a space and figure out on the spot how to improve or convert it altogether.

Over 20 years ago, he developed a way to make faux stone to look and feel like travertine. He then used the mixture to form fireplace mantels that resembled the beautiful stone fireplaces seen in Europe. The business developed into other products like kitchen hoods and architectural elements such as columns, archways and corbels. He called his business Tuscan Stone Mantels and was very proud of the projects he designed.

Phil married Anna Morgan in 1981 in Atlanta, Georgia. They divorced in 2020. He is survived by his sister, Susan Saylor of Palm Bay, Florida and two brothers, Jerry Saylor of Melbourne, Florida and Daryel Saylor of Port Orange, Florida.

A celebration of his life will be held on the beach later this year on a date to be determined.