Deceased June 22, 2021

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In Memory

Philip H. Pfatteicher '57
The Rev. Dr. Philip H. Pfatteicher passed away on June 22 after a battle with cancer. His wife, Lois, had passed away three years earlier. Both born in Philadelphia, they had resided in Melrose, Mass., for the past several years of their retirement.

He is survived by his four children: Carl Pfatteicher ’85, Carolyn McDermott, Sarah Pfatteicher and Linda Pfatteicher. Philip’s son, Carl, graduated from Amherst in 1985, and Carl’s daughter Julia in 2019. Philip’s daughter Carolyn attended Mount Holyoke. Sarah Pfatteicher attended Smith College and currently serves as executive director of the Five College Consortium. Linda Pfatteicher attended Simmons College in Boston.

At Amherst, Philip was a member of Alpha Theta Xi. He played football and was a member of the track and wrestling teams, Christian Association, Outing Club and Glee Club. Recently, he was an associate agent for the Amherst Fund.

Philip attended William Penn Charter School before coming to Amherst, where he graduated cum laude with a major in English. He received a master of divinity degree from the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Philadelphia and became an ordained Lutheran minister. He later obtained a master’s degree and Ph.D. in English from the University of Pennsylvania and a master of sacred theology degree from Union Theological Seminary. 

Philip had a dual career for much of his life, as a pastor in the Lutheran ministry and an English professor at East Stroudsburg University. He authored 24 books and nearly 100 articles and reviews, mostly for the Lutheran Church, and was well regarded for his unparalleled knowledge of the Christian faith and its traditions.

Philip was a frequent contributor to Amherst and to the class of ’57 in particular. Donations in his memory may be made to the College.

Carl Pfatteicher ’85