Phillip Lance Hadley Sr.

Phillip Lance Hadley, 79, lost his battle with pulmonary fibrosis on December 7, 2022 in his San Diego home surrounded by his beloved wife and two children.  He will forever be remembered as a loving husband and father, accomplished educator, friend and mentor, and passionate community citizen dedicated to improving the lives of others.  He will also be remembered for his quick wit, enthusiasm for sports, academic acumen, and love of travel and cultural exchange. 

    Phillip Lance Hadley was born in Youngstown, Ohio on May 15, 1943 to Robert Charles Hadley and Elizabeth Delores Hadley. At Ohio University he earned undergraduate degrees in math and physics and a master’s degree in Spanish Literature. At the University of Texas in Austin he completed his doctorate in Latin American History and met his wife, Lynn.  They married in 1969 and shared 53 years together with a daughter and son.

    Phil was a natural educator known for his dedication to his students and his strong and thoughtful leadership among faculty and peers alike. He began his career in 1968 at St. Stephen’s Episcopal School in Austin teaching Spanish, physics and math while coaching sports.  Throughout the 1970s he chaired the school’s modern language department while starting a student summer program for American students in Guanajuato, Mexico.  His fifteen years at St. Stephens were special years filled with memories of close friends and student alumni who stayed connected over the years, even maintaining an ongoing Zoom-based discussion group on Spanish literature as part of the lifelong learning Phil modeled.

    As a school administrator, Phil left St. Stephens in 1983 and served as head of the upper school at the Brookstone School in Columbus, Georgia and the Bishop's School in La Jolla, California.  He also served as headmaster of St. Mary's Hall in San Antonio, Virginia Episcopal School in Lynchburg, Virginia and St. John’s Episcopal School in Chula Vista, California. At each school, Phil and Lynn built lasting relationships with friends and students and left a record of accomplishment.

    Retired in 2010, Phil and Lynn returned to their home in San Diego. He soon found retirement filled with requests to serve interim teaching and leadership roles that he happily added to his “retired” schedule. An avid traveler, he and Lynn could be found in numerous countries as schedules allowed, conversing with the locals, absorbing the culture, and visiting with friends both considered their international family.  Given his Ohio roots, Phil was also a lifelong Cleveland Indians and Browns fan—loyal to the core and ready to cheer on his Cleveland teams even in losing years when such loyal fans were hard to find.

    It was during high school that his dad took a road trip from Ohio to Mexico where Phil fell in love with the people and the culture.  He returned the following summer, lived with a family, and mastered the language. It was a love for cultural exchange that he pursued for a lifetime. In 1987 Phil became a dedicated supporter and board member of Via International, a San Diego based non-profit that works across the border to promote sustainable development in under-resourced communities. Serving the board for three decades, his tenure as board chairman was filled with fresh ideas and hard work—a team effort to implement creative community-based programs. Additionally, he served Vida Joven de Mexico, a safe and loving home in Tijuana with a mission to protect and educate abandoned children.

             The outpouring of love and respect that the family has received from so many alumni and friends is greatly appreciated and serves as a living testament to his good heart and love of people. He is survived by his wife, Lynn Hadley; children, Phillip Lance Hadley, Jr. and Stephanie Hadley Crutchfield; sister, Susan Kelley; nephews, Ryan and Mark Axelson, and two loving grandchildren, Ethan Dawson and Emma Hadley. A memorial service will be held at St. James by-the-Sea Episcopal Church, 743 Prospect St., La Jolla, California on Saturday, January 21, 2023 at 1 p.m.  

    In lieu of flowers, donations to VIA International and Vida Joven de Mexico are welcomed. 

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Phillip Lance Hadley Sr., please visit our floral store.