Phillip ‘Phill’ Kerr Rodgers, 59, peacefully passed away surrounded by love on the early evening of July 5, 2025, at UPMC Memorial. He is survived by his only child, Ivy Rodgers, his Ivy Girl, whom he loved so very much. He is also survived by his mother Mary, brother Will Rodgers, sister Jill Childress, ex-wife Yvonne Rodgers, son-in-law Sean Asten, and loving dedicated partner, Julie Hake Vance, and their dogs, including P.J. Onion (P.J. for Phill Jr.). He is preceded in death by his father and hero, Ronald L. Rodgers.

Phill was born on June 13, 1966, to Ronald and Mary (Kerr) Rodgers of Red Lion. The youngest of three children, Phill enjoyed playing outside, drawing Snoopy cartoons, petting his cat Taffy, and being silly. He was quite the jokester, playing pranks and causing a ruckus in the classroom. He always loved making people laugh.

As he got older, he wasn’t sure where life was taking him. After graduating from high school, he went on and joined the Army Reserves, and traveled to Fort Benning, Georgia for basic training. After finishing his training, he moved to Tallahassee, Florida with his parents and sister. There he met Yvonne and fell in love with her pretty quickly following a fender-bender. She encouraged him to pursue cooking school since he loved everything about food. It was so apparent that it was his calling. His career spanned over 30 years where he worked in kitchens at retreat centers, restaurants, country clubs, and schools in Florida and Pennsylvania.

In 1995, Phill and Yvonne had their only child, a daughter they named Ivy. Phill loved being a dad and loved teaching his daughter about spicy food, hunting and fishing, how to swim, listening to music like Eels, Radiohead, the White Stripes, and so much more. He taught her all the different ways to cut vegetables, including the difference between a julienne and a chiffonade.

Things he loved include: playing frisbee, eating sushi, cooking nostalgic meals, watching his favorite show It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, learning about WW2 and military history, watching movies like Garden State, Shawshank Redemption, Amélie, and Do the Right Thing. He had been building a tear-drop camper trailer for many years, which his daughter and son-in-law plan on finishing. He also dreamt of having his own hot dog cart. His favorite foods to cook included shrimp toast, dippy eggs, any kind of soup, his famous brown-butter spaetzle, and homemade coffee ice cream.

There will be no service or funeral at this time, as his wish was to be cremated and for friends and family to hold a party on what would be his 60th birthday, June 13, 2026.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to York County SPCA where he met his dog P.J. Onion. He wanted everyone to know that life is precious and to please cherish the time you have with the people you love. Also, ALWAYS cook with fresh parsley.