Philip Baboulis

On August 6, 2023, Philip Baboulis, age 80, of New Milford, NJ passed away at home with his wife Judy Machacek by his side, after a long illness.  Born in Brooklyn, NY, Phil was the son of Christos and Rita Baboulis and the youngest of four children: Alexander, Andrew (predeceased) and wife Sheila, and step-sister Gloria Radus (predeceased). Phil also leaves behind his first wife, and mother to his children, Thelma Bowery, and three of his four beloved children; Philip Jr., Paul, and wife Katherine, Sharon, and husband Mario Bacha. His daughter Alexandra had predeceased him. Philip’s special joy in life was as grandfather to Rich Watson, Stephanie Bacha, Jaxon and Charlie Baboulis.  

After living with family in Brooklyn, then foster homes, then New Smyrna Beach Florida and Union City NJ, Philip graduated with honors from Union Hill H.S. and from Fairleigh Dickenson Univ. As a young boy, he enjoyed playing the trumpet and baritone in the school band. Philip was further educated at CCNY with an ongoing love of Math and Physics. His scientific and computer background was noted while employed by Bell Labs and he was selected to work on a top-secret military project on Kwajalein Island in Micronesia. Later jobs at Bendix Corp, McDonnell Douglass Corp, Lockheed Electronics, and CSC Computer Sciences Corp, continued his success with military assignments, including the F15 fighter Aircraft.

Philip’s other passion was sports. He enjoyed coaching his children in Biddy Basketball and Little League Baseball teams to tournament finals in Teaneck, and continued coaching many years after they graduated. Not one to give up sports, Phil played stickball, softball and basketball with kids much younger than he, earning the nickname “Riv.” Old man “River” kept playing ball well into his 60’s in spite of back, knee, and shoulder injuries.  During final retirement years, Philip voraciously read esoteric books on Math, Physics, and the Civil War. As he grew older, his intensity mellowed but he still kept friends and family entertained with his humor and witty discussions on almost any topic. He was a constant source of love and encouragement to his wife Judy during 40 years of marriage and he will be deeply missed.

There will be a Celebration of Life for family and close friends at a later date.

Donations in the name of Philip Baboulis may be made to The American Cancer Society.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Philip Baboulis, please visit our floral store.