Philip Luton - 1947 - 2025
From the Parish News – January 2026.
Phil was born on the 20th of April 1947. Most of his early life was spent in Wales, with parents Alf & Vera and siblings Geoff & Pam.
Always fiercely independent, he left home at 16 and started an engineering apprenticeship, laying the foundations of a lifelong love for just about anything with an engine. Whilst his first job involved heavy plant machinery, his passion lay in the cars and motorbikes he restored and drove.
Phil’s working life revolved around a diverse range of vehicles. He ran his own marine businesses, was an HGV driver and crewed hot air balloons. Always a hard worker, it wasn’t in Phil’s nature to be doing nothing. Even after retirement at 68 he didn’t stop, keeping busy rebuilding old Land Rovers.
Phil first married at 19 and, whilst this didn’t last, he became a proud and loving father to 3 daughters. His marriage to Kath brought a son, Jake.
A hands-on dad, Phil was warm and present. He changed nappies, did the bath time routine, and was always ready to play, even when things got a bit too boisterous and someone - inevitably him - got hurt.
His pride and love for all his children grew and widened as he became a granddad and then great granddad.
Inevitably, it was engines that brought Phil & Kath together. They crossed paths at the Mayflower Motorbike Club, where Phil taught Kath how to ride. It was love at first sight and the start of a long, very happy and rather unconventional life together.
In the early days they had next to nothing, sharing clothes and even a toothbrush, but they had each other.
However, this was no traditional romantic couple. Their wedding was announced as ‘By order of the Ball and Chain.’ But beneath that teasing exterior was a deep, steady love.
A man of simple pleasures, Phil enjoyed a good pint, a glass of rum, a bit of Radio 4 comedy, and music ranging from the Blues Brothers to jazz. He shared a love of ice hockey with Jake, playing at Chelmsford but sadly never on the same team. Phil also enjoyed skiing, as well as motorhome holidays in Corfu and across the UK and Europe. He was a keen reader of biographies and books about motorbikes.
Over the years Phil and Kath lived in many places, including 32 years in Canvey Island, before finally settling in Denton. Here was somewhere they both adored. From the moment they arrived they belonged. Within weeks they were volunteering at Dentill and had joined the bar staff rota. Phil was soon helping out in all sorts of ways; mowing, cutting hedges, lending a hand wherever it was needed and becoming a national celebrity pin-up in 2025 as November’s Dreamboy.
Life with Phil was fun; he was full of energy, full of plans, and always up to something. He had a great sense of humour and a real appetite for life. Wherever there was something exciting, wacky or slightly mad happening, Phil was likely to be right in the middle of it!
A good, kind man who lived a life of generosity, laughter and love, Phil will be fondly remembered by everyone lucky enough to have known him.