Philip Pellette

Philip Walter Pellette, 65, of Midway, Utah, passed away on June 8th, 2024, while hiking in Yosemite National Park. Though he was taken far too soon, we take solace that he lived a deeply loving and passionate life and died surrounded by the natural beauty he loved. 

Philip was born in Amityville, New York to Philip and Margot Pellette, and grew up in Las Cruces and Los Alamos, NM, graduating from Los Alamos High School in 1977. He received his Bachelor of Science in Nuclear Engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York in 1981, graduating in the top ten percent of his class. After serving in the Army Corps of Engineers in Nuremberg, Germany, he returned to the US where he took a job at Texas Utilities’ Comanche Peak nuclear power plant and married Leonore Schatz. During their years in Texas, the young couple were soon busy raising three children. Philip was then hired by Los Alamos National Labs and the family moved to White Rock, NM. A few years after his first marriage ended in divorce, he married Lara Telle, also of Los Alamos and also a LANL employee.  The couple later moved to Livermore, California, where they both worked for Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory for nearly two decades. 

Phil’s passion for sport and the outdoors was the glue that bound the extended Pellette family together. He coached generations of young soccer players in Texas, New Mexico, California, and Utah. He taught his children, nieces, nephews, and grandchildren to ski, and was a ski instructor at Pajarito Mountain Ski area. He enjoyed planning hiking trips and was always there to celebrate graduations and milestone birthdays. But his greatest passion was skiing, and with their recent relocation to Utah, he was looking forward to achieving his goal of skiing 100 days per year.

Phil was beloved by so many family members, friends, and co-workers. He was affectionately known as a “PHILosopher” by his extended family, who relished his ability to discuss any topic and hold space for every point of view. He was a seeker of knowledge, truth, the meaning of life, and self-improvement. That hunger for self-improvement inspired family competition in the NYT crossword, Wordle, Spelling Bee, and Flashback. Phil was always cracking a “Dad Joke,” and his Limerick writing skills were legendary.

Philip Walter Pellette is survived by his wife Lara Telle and his three children, Patrick, Michelle, and Ryan Pellette, as well as two stepsons Josh and Caleb Montoya. He is also mourned by his six grandchildren and his siblings Andrea, Denise, and Thomas with their spouses and children. Philip was a favorite nephew, cousin, uncle, and friend, and his absence will be felt by many.

A Graveside Service will be held 10am Friday, July 5 2024 at Guaje Pines Cemetery in Los Alamos, NM with a Celebration of Life immediately following.

In lieu of flowers, we will be setting up a scholarship in Philip’s name. Please send an email to the following email address, and we will send more information as it becomes available. philip.pellette.memorial@gmail.com