St. Paul - Philip Kilpatrick of St. Paul, Minn., died peacefully on April 27, 2026. He was 84.

Phil was a sincere family man and husband, an exacting engineer, a devout golfer, and a lifelong fan of the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team. He grew up in Windsor and St. Albans, Mo., as the only child of Philip and Josephine Kilpatrick. Phil graduated from Washington High School in Washington, Mo. Excelling at math and science, he graduated from Carleton College in the class of 1963 and from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1966.

After M.I.T. Phil moved to the Twin Cities and began working for Honeywell as an aeronautical engineer. His projects included laser gyroscopes for aircraft navigation, solid state electronics, and guidance systems for torpedoes. In 1990 Phil left Honeywell for its spinoff company Alliant Tech Systems, where he managed tank ammunition. He retired in 1999 as a vice president.

In "retirement" Phil volunteered his time and knowledge to help local start-up companies before going back to school to earn an MBA from St. Thomas University. He always loved numbers and specialized in accounting and tax preparation. To keep his mind active, Phil worked part-time for DeNet Kenefick & Associates and Tax Materials, Inc. He developed a passion for genealogy and corresponded with relatives near and far, tracing his ancestry to Ireland and Scotland.

Phil met Betty Allen in 1967 at a Christmas party in St. Louis, Mo., and they married the following year. Making their home in Roseville, Minn., they were happily married for 26 years until Betty's death in 1995. They raised three children David, Elizabeth, and Charles. Phil was a dedicated father. Although his job was demanding, he made sure daily that he was home in time for the family to enjoy dinner and conversation together. He also generously ensured that every educational opportunity was available to his children. The family attended St. Christopher's Episcopal Church where Phil served on the vestry.

In 1997 Phil married Virginia "Ginna" Swanstrom. They celebrated their 29th anniversary just before his death. They enjoyed dinners with friends, golf, scrabble, classic movies, and walking the beach of Sanibel Island, Fla., in the winter.

Phil was a member of the Wednesday morning men's league at Keller Golf Course and enjoyed the group's fellowship. He also loved attending basketball games and cross-country meets of his grandchildren.

Phil is survived by his wife Virginia Kilpatrick of St. Paul; son David (Julie Schultz) of Minneapolis, daughter Liz of Princeton, MA, and son Charlie (Ngam) of Berkeley, Calif.; and grandchildren Eli and Cleo.

A celebration of life for Phil will be held at a later date.