Phillip Edward Hampton, age 74, passed away unexpectedly on Saturday, January 15, 2022. He is survived by his son, Rick Hampton; daughters, Maryanne (Ric) Anderson and Jessica (Mike) Denardo; brother, Reggie (Marion) Hampton; four grandchildren and two nephews. He is preceded in death by his wife of 45 years, Mittie Dianne Hampton; parents, Lloyd and Gertrude Hampton and sister Marie Theresa Hampton.
A memorial service will be held at the First United Methodist Church of Oviedo on Saturday, April 9, 2022 at 3 p.m. in the Historic Sanctuary.
Phil was born on February 10, 1947 in Pikeville, Kentucky, the first child of Lloyd and Gertrude Hampton. His mother used to joke that the reason why he was named Phillip was because she had such severe morning sickness while she was pregnant with him that she had to take Phillips’ Milk of Magnesia often, usually numerous times each day to combat her symptoms. She said that it worked so well, she named a child after it! He and his family moved to the North Florida area in 1949, where he was raised. Phil graduated from Union County High School in Lake Butler in 1965 and attended Lake City Community College before joining the United States Air Force in 1966. He returned to Lake City Community College and received an associate’s degree in 1971.
He served his country proudly as an intelligence officer during the Vietnam War era, achieving the rank of staff sergeant, and was honorably discharged in 1970. By that time, his family had moved to Geneva, Fla., and he joined them there. Soon after returning home, he was introduced to Mittie Dianne Edwards and they were married in Geneva on April 28, 1973. They settled in Oviedo, and Phil began his land surveying career as an assistant to William “Hank” Heath in 1971. Mr. Heath soon discovered Phil had a knack for mathematical calculations and an understanding of computers, which had just started to emerge in the field of surveying, so he soon asked Phil to join him in the land surveying business and Phil became a licensed professional land surveyor in 1980. He owned his own land surveying firm for the majority of his career and worked as a legislative lobbyist for the land surveying industry.
Phil was active in his church, the First United Methodist Church of Oviedo, where he enjoyed singing in the choir, barbecuing chicken for fundraisers, playing on the softball team, and mission trips to Guatemala. Phil served in several roles for the church, including president of the Men’s Club, Trustee and Lay Speaker. He could always be counted on to assist in any way and he truly had a servant’s heart. Not only did he serve his church community, he served the community of Oviedo as a city councilman from 1992 through 1996, when he ran for State Representative for District 33. Phil was a member of the Rotary Club of Oviedo, serving as past president and Paul Harris Fellow, The Greater Oviedo Chamber of Commerce, serving as past president in 1985, The Florida Society of Professional Land Surveyors as a past parliamentarian and member of the board of directors, the Central Florida Chapter of Professional Land Surveyors as a past president and member of the board of directors, the Florida Land Surveyors Council as vice president, and the Geneva Historical and Genealogical Society as a past president and member of the board of directors. In addition, he was able to share his knowledge of land surveying by teaching courses at Valencia Community College and Florida Technological University, better known now as the University of Central Florida.
Phil loved sports, particularly Florida Gator football, holding season tickets until moving to Georgia in 2012, and also enjoyed the Atlanta Braves. He could always be counted on to be at every sports event his son had, sometimes as a coach and sometimes as just a parent.
Phil encouraged his family to fight for what they wanted or thought was right. He never gave up and he rarely backed down. Phil was always proud of his family and he always stood by their sides, beaming with pride at their accomplishments. He enjoyed traveling, movies and almost any sporting event.
When Phil and Dianne retired, they moved to Dahlonega, Georgia to live in the mountains they had always dreamed of. They loved driving around and exploring little unknown areas. Phil was a dedicated member of the First Methodist Church of Dahlonega, serving in any way he could, usually leading the congregation in singing beloved hymns. Dianne passed away in 2018 and Phil moved back to Florida in 2019. By then, his battle with dementia was evident. In his last few years, he enjoyed spending time with his grandsons, Gavin and Grady. He absolutely adored them.
Phil was the father everyone looked up to and respected. He was a loving and devoted husband, an amazing father who made sure his daughters knew about sports (“to help their future husbands”) and were never afraid to challenge societal pressures, and he shared his vast knowledge of land surveying with his son. Phil was a wonderful grandfather, always so proud of each of his grandsons. He was a beloved uncle, cousin, brother, father-in-law and friend. Phil had several “adopted” grandsons and he encouraged all of them to excel in sports and life. He was a friendly man, never afraid to speak to a stranger, and he loved meeting new people. Phil always made everyone feel like family, from his children’s friends to friends that became family. If his family loved someone, he loved them as his own. He truly loved all and served all.
A memorial service will be held at the First United Methodist Church of Oviedo on Saturday, April 9, 2022 at 3 p.m. He will be interred at Cape Canaveral National Cemetery with military honors in a private family service.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Phil’s honor to the Alzheimer’s Association by visiting http://www.alz.org or the Florida Surveying and Mapping Society’s scholarship fund by mail at the Community Foundation of North Florida, 3600 Maclay Blvd South, Suite 200, Tallahassee, FL 32312. Please be sure to note that the donation is for the Florida Surveying and Mapping Society.
