Obituary

Philip Eugene Modlin
(September 24, 1929 - June 10, 2022)

Philip Eugene Modlin, 92, died June 10, 2022, at home in Locust Grove, VA. Born September 24, 1929, in Boston, Massachusetts, he was the son of Rev. Harrison Eugene Modlin and Mary E. Sumner Modlin. He grew up in West Virginia and his family moved to Huntington, W.Va., in 1945. He was a 1947 graduate of Huntington East High School where he played trombone in the band. He received his B.S. degree from Marshall College in 1951. He married his high school sweetheart, Jean Stephenson, on June 6, 1951, and they celebrated their 71st wedding anniversary. A veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, he was stationed in Memphis, Tennessee, as an electronics instructor. Following his service, he was employed by WHBQ in Memphis in the early days of television where he worked with Wink Martindale and knew Elvis Presley, Ray Charles, Danny Thomas and other celebrities as they performed on live television. In 1956, he moved back to Huntington and, after finishing his graduate degree, spent nearly 40 years as a biology professor at Marshall University. He was an avid Marshall football and basketball fan, missing only one home football game in over 60 years and attending many away games. He was recognized as a 50-year member of the Big Green Club and was also recognized on the field as “Fan of the Game” in 2011. Following the Marshall plane crash in 1970, he joined other faculty members in representing the university at numerous funerals. He particularly enjoyed serving as the faculty representative to the University Athletic Committee and chaired the committee when Coach Jim Donnan and the Marshall football team won the National Championship in 1992. He was a member of a number of organizations including the Emeritus Club, Kappa Delta Pi, and for many years was treasurer of the United Methodist Campus Ministry Board at Marshall. He also served for years as chief usher for the Marshall Artist Series. In 1980, he and Jean moved to Hawkhill Farm in Getaway, Ohio, where they lived and raised horses until moving to Virginia in 2013. He was a member of Johnson Memorial United Methodist Church, Huntington, and sang in church choirs for his entire life prior to moving to Virginia. Survivors include his wife, Jean, daughters, Barbara (Gary) Good, Charleston, WV; Joan (Robert) Prasse, Locust Grove, VA; Judi (Joe) Kenaston, Hurricane, WV; and Jane Modlin (Andrew Potter), South Point, Ohio; grandchildren, Laura (Nate) Good Kennedy, Carol Good, Shauna (Josh) Prasse Riggs, Christopher Prasse, Diane Kenaston (Adam Ployd), Rachel Kenaston, and Connor (Maria Niechwiadowicz) Kenaston; great-grandchildren, Oliver and Henry Riggs and Isaac Ployd; brother, Robert (Jill) Modlin, and sister-in-law, Margie Modlin, as well as a niece and several nephews. He was preceded in death by his brother, Charles Modlin, and grandson, Trey Prasse. A Celebration of Life will be held in Huntington at a later date. Memorial gifts for the Philip E. and Jean S. Modlin Scholarship may be sent to the Marshall University Foundation, Inc. 519 John Marshall Drive, Huntington, WV 25703. Wallace Funeral Home is in charge of local arrangements.