Philip Wylie McNeese

Philip Wylie McNeese was born February 18, 1957 in Uvalde, Texas to Ida Jeanne Douglas and Maurice Weber McNeese. His only sibling, Douglas Wayne, was born three years later. His dad’s career with the Soil Conservation Service transferred them all over the state - Uvalde, Georgetown, Rio Grande City, Miles, Brownwood, and Temple. Philip’s family made lifelong friends everywhere they lived. Weber taught the boys how to build, or fix, just about anything. Jean taught them to cook, and gave them a love of music and animals. Their lives were filled with food, friends, family, music, and pets - they always had a boxer, but also cats and canaries and even a raccoon at one point. Philip truly had an idyllic, small town 1960s childhood.

When his family settled in Temple in 1970, Philip’s musical life really began to take shape. Music was always Philip’s dream. Like most aspiring young musicians, he started in a neighborhood garage band, with Mike Roeder and Mike Durhan. By high school, his friends had formed an R&B group called One Step Higher. They played all over Waco in the late 1970s, while he attended Temple Jr. College. Philip then transferred to Texas A&M, but after one semester, decided it wasn’t the place for him, and he transferred to North Texas State University. Good thing, because that’s where he met Linda.

Upon graduation from NTSU he moved to Waco and attended McLennan Community College so he could learn to read and write music. There he met Dick Gimble, one of the professors who helped shape his teaching style, and became a lifelong friend. He and Linda married in May 1981, and they moved to Dallas once he graduated. Through the years, Philip taught bass guitar lessons at Brook Mays, Nadine’s Music Manor, Arnold & Morgan Music, and The Music Store – having as many as 30 students at once. From what many of his students have shared, he made quite an impression on them.

He was in many bands in Dallas over the years, starting with a jazz band called Clockwork. They were the house band at Strictly Tabu for many years, and voted Best Jazz / Fusion band in Dallas multiple times in the 1980s. Philip toured with Schwantz Lefantz and Custom Made, but once Katie was born, and then Sam, he decided it was time to get off the road. He played with Ice House, and later joined the Rhett Butler Group. But, when Sam made the varsity baseball team as a freshman, Philip decided he’d had enough of smoky bars and late hours. He joined the Dallas Bible Church praise band, and never missed another one of Sam’s games.

Although music was in Philip’s soul, his family was where his heart was. He was most proud of Katie and Sam. Both kids went on to attend Texas A&M, where Katie graduated from Veterinary School in 2014. Sam graduated in 2015 with a degree in Business, and was recruited by Sewell Lexus. Both kids started successful careers. Philip and Sam shared a passion for cars and space, and the whole family shared Philip’s love of baseball.

After Philip’s 2011 cancer diagnosis, as an act of pure kindness, Linda’s dad (Dub) gave Philip his most prized possession – his 1973 Datsun 240Z. Turns out, it was exactly what the doctor ordered. Philip rallied and he and Dub worked on the Z all the time. In 2016, Philip inherited his parents’ farm in Little River. It’s been a work in progress for the last 10 years, but he and Linda moved there permanently in August 2024. Fifty years of family celebrations and holidays; nothing but happy memories.

Philip had battled stage 4 urothelial carcinoma for the last 15 years. He rarely spoke about it and refused to be defined by it. Unfortunately, all those years of chemo, immunotherapy, and radiation resulted in a treatment resistant leukemia. Philip passed away on October 4, 2026 at the age of 69, surrounded by family.

Philip had a wonderful childhood. He got to spend his life being a professional musician, and became close friends with some of the very best musicians in Texas. He and Linda raised two amazing kids and had lots of great dogs. Philip was well respected for his musical talent, his devotion to family and friends, and his integrity. Linda, Katie, and Sam are filled with gratitude for the life Philip built, and that all of you were a part of it.

Philip will be laid to rest in the Wilson Valley Cemetery next to his parents, just down the road from the

farm. In lieu of flowers, if you would like to make a donation, please send it to an animal shelter or dog rescue of your choosing.

Broken Chain

We little knew that morning that

God was going to call your name.

In life we loved you dearly,

in death we do the same.

It broke our hearts to lose you,

you did not go alone;

for part of us went with you,

the day God called you home.

You left us peaceful memories,

your love is still our guide;

and though we cannot see you,

you are always by our side.

Our family chain is broken,

And nothing seems the same;

but as God calls us one by one,

the chain will link again.

Ron Tanmer