Phillip I. Coltrane

Phillip Irvin Coltrane, 71, of Fishersville, a beloved husband, father, and grandfather, passed away at his residence on Saturday, November 1, 2025, after a long and arduous battle with cancer.

Phil was born on September 25, 1954, in Beaufort, South Carolina, a son of Annie Frances Phillips Coltrane and the late Robert Irvin Coltrane. He later resided in Raleigh, North Carolina, Morgantown, West Virginia, and Fairfax, Virginia.

He attended Bridgewater College, got his first “real job” at the former DeJarnette Center for Human Development in Staunton, met his future wife, Beverly, and settled in the Shenandoah Valley, where he happily remained until his death.

Phil and Beverly married in 1979 and had two daughters who were always the apples of his eye.

Throughout his life, he served as a game warden, a magistrate, a kindergarten teacher, and ended his career at Stuarts Draft Elementary in Augusta County as its principal. He loved working with children, rarely met one he didn’t like, and was the consummate educator. In fact, he earned teacher of the year in the City of Waynesboro after his first year of teaching kindergarten. He retired in 2017 after devoting seven years to the students, staff, and community.

An Eagle Scout since his formative years in Fairfax, Phil developed a lifelong love of nature and the world around him. He was an amazing gardener, and he loved sports, his friends, and his family, and doting on his grandsons particularly, as often as he could. He was a bright light and will be sorely missed.

In addition to his beloved wife, Beverly Ann Shenk Coltrane; and his daughters, Amelia Page Coltrane and Elizabeth “Lizzy” Ann Coltrane and her husband, Michael Burket, he is survived by his grandchildren, Charlie and Phillip Burket; his brother, Curtis Lee Coltrane; his sister, Jelisa Coltrane Wolfe; his brothers-in-law, Larry Shenk and his wife, Jann, and Glenn Shenk; and a host of nieces and nephews.

A memorial service will be conducted at 12:00 PM on Wednesday, November 5, 2025, at Central United Methodist Church in Staunton with the Reverend Won Un officiating. The family will receive friends following the conclusion of the service.

Interment at Thornrose Cemetery in Staunton will be private.

In lieu of flowers, it is suggested that those desiring may make memorial contributions to Stuarts Draft Elementary School (63 School Boulevard, Stuarts Draft, VA 24477).