Wellsville, NY - Philip F. Szalla, 71, of 850 Mapes Road passed away on Friday, October 24, 2014 at the Buffalo VA Medical Center. He was born February 27, 1943 in Lockport the son of the late Louis and Helen (Theel) Szalla.
Philip was raised in Lockport and was a graduate of Lockport High School. He was a veteran of the U. S. Army and was an employee of Harrison Radiator Corporation in Lockport for many years. He also operated an archery shop and was a taxidermist in the Lockport area. After retirement, he moved to the Wellsville and was an avid outdoorsman who loved hunting and fishing.
He is survived by several friends including, Albert Hyde of Scio, John and Becky Bork of North Tonawanda, the John Shetler Family of Fillmore, Jon Ebling of Andover, Elmer Thomas of Wellsville as well as a host of friends at Castaways Restaurant in Wellsville.
Friends are invited to call on Wednesday from 7:00 to 9:00 pm and Thursday from 12 noon to 2:00 pm at the J. W. Embser Sons Funeral Home Inc. in Wellsville. The funeral will follow visitation at 2:00 pm Thursday (October 30, 2104) in the funeral home with Pastor Richard Helms presiding. Burial with military honors will be in Woodlawn Cemetery. To leave online condolences, please visit www.embserfuneralhome.com.
Who is Philip F. Szalla? Phil was a true scholar of the outdoors, unmatched in his passion and pursuit of whitetail deer. "No two deer are the same, all are unique and I love them all" - He would say. The one word that describes him best is "passion". He had passion for everything he did, whether it was story telling, fishing on the dock or taxidermy. It didn't matter, he gave 100% and did it all well. Phil was a man of principal; right, wrong or indifferent, Phil had an opinion and he stuck to it. Most importantly Phil was a friend through and through. Since I was a little boy, Phil was my friend. We mostly laughed, ate wild game, expressed our interest in whitetail antlers, told stories and went fishing together. I will miss my friend in too many ways to list. The best part of it all, is that I know Phil was my buddy and that is priceless to me. Now he would say, "no boo whooing over me just go hunt and chase that big buck". Rest in peace my good friend. -Tyler
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