June 19, 2003 – Friends will gather at 9:45 a.m. Sunday at Honeymoon Beach on St. John to celebrate the life of Phil Willes, who died on June 14 on St. Thomas. He was 54.
His longtime companion, Lucy Portlock, said that anyone who needs a ride to Honeymoon Beach, which is accessible to the public by foot, should meet in the Caneel Bay Resort parking lot.
Willes was a former owner of All Island Machine Shop at Red Hook on St. Thomas.
Born in London on July 4, 1947, he was educated in England and served his tool- and die-making apprenticeship with the City of London Guilds. He moved to St. John in 1982.
In addition to Portlock, he is survived by an adopted brother, George Willes; his niece, Phillipa Willes; and his nephew, R. Willes.