I am heartbroken about Phil's passing. Phil was my friend and a very important mentor to me. Phil was also one of the nicest persons I have ever met. 

I met Phil when I was an undergraduate student at the University of Ottawa in my first year, I took group theory from him. After that I took various other classes from him like linear algebra and history of mathematics, which was a very fun class! Near the end of undergrad when I deciding what area of research to study, Phil was the one who first mentioned category theory to me. Afterwards, through all of my grad school, Phil was still a mentor to me: always supporting my research and listening to my ideas. But more importantly, Phil became a friend. We would often catch up at the FMCS conference or whenever I was passing through Ottawa again. We also both visited Edinburgh at the same time, and often went on hikes together then. Even this past year, Phil was still encouraging me. 

I will miss Phil truly. Thank you for all the support, encourage, guidance, mentorship, friendship, and kindness you have shown me over the years. May you rest in peace.

— JS PL