Obituary of Philip Andrew MacTaggart

Philip A. MacTaggart, 61 of Geneseo, IL formerly of North Liberty died Wednesday, May 4, 2011, at the Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, IL. Graveside services with Military Honors will be held at 11:30 a.m., Saturday, May 7, 2011, at the St. Stanislaus Cemetery near Hills. Visitation will be from 9am until 11am Saturday at Gay & Ciha Funeral and Cremation Service in Iowa City. Online condolences may be sent for his family through the web @ www.gayandciha.com. Philip Andrew MacTaggart was born February 16, 1950, in Trenton, NJ, the son of John and Kathleen (Altmaier) MacTaggart. He grew up in Iowa City. He graduated from Iowa City High School in 1968. He then went on to graduate from the University of Iowa with a double major in Spanish and English Literature. He then became a Fulbright scholar studying Guarani Oral Traditions in Paraguay followed by a Masters in Spanish Literature from Middlebury College. Phil obtained a Juris Doctorate from the University of Iowa in 1984. Phil served over twenty years in the United States Navy, retiring in the US Navy Reserves with the rank of Commander. He practiced law in North Liberty and later served as a Federal Public Defender in Del Rio, Texas. For the past seven years he resided in Geneseo, Illinois. Philip MacTaggart was a writer, inventor, science enthusiast, world traveler and most importantly a father of four. He had a passion for the great outdoors and enjoyed the adventures that life had to offer. His family includes his four children, John MacTaggart of North Liberty; Rigoberto MacTaggart of Maryland; Kathleen MacTaggart of Iowa City; Marilyn MacTaggart of Carbondale, IL; his fiancé, Rosa MacTaggart of North Liberty; mother, Kathleen MacTaggart of North Liberty; brother, Robert MacTaggart (Vicki) of Cedar Rapids, and a sister, Sylvia Odgers (Barry) of Molalla, OR. He was preceded in death by his father, John MacTaggart.