Phillip Jon Sweeney, 52, of La Crosse, passed away peacefully on December 12, 2024 at Gundersen Health System in La Crosse.  He was born on December 24, 1971 to Michael and Jeanette Thompson Sweeney.

The man…The myth…The legend

Phil was a very simple, yet complex man.  He lived his life fast and loved hard.  Phil’s motto was always..it’s my life and I’m going to live it the way I want and when I go… it’s going to be on my terms.

Phil had a charming and little boy innocence to him.  He also could strike up a conversation with anyone and he especially loved to share his story of meeting and bowling with a drummer of the rock band Ratt and the time he spent working for and traveling with the New Orleans Saints.  Phil left an impression you couldn’t forget.

Phil developed a love for bowling at a very young age.  He was a master at it, and could have easily went on to join the pro bowling circuit, earning him the nickname of Mr. 300, however, his greatest passion in bowling was coaching youth and high school teams.

He had a love for baseball and the Milwaukee Brewers and spent numerous hours watching games with his Grandma Loretta.  He played baseball as a youth and continued playing through high school excelling as a short stop and pitcher.  He also played softball for many years of his adult life, treasuring the games he played together with his dad on the same team.

He was an avid Packers, Badgers and Nascar fan and could tell you the teams stats and scores.

Phil attended WWTC for accounting, but soon knew he wanted to pursue his 2^nd passion of cooking.  He relocated to Janesville and attended Blackhawk Technical Institute in the culinary arts program.  But the thing that gave him greatest joy and pride was becoming a father.  He loved watching his children participate in all of their extracurricular activities and he was their biggest fan.

9 years ago, he reconnected with a childhood friend and she ended up being the love of his life.  He nicknamed her Spunk and lovingly referred to her as his rock.

Phil’s passing has left a void in the hearts of his family and friends that can never be filled.  We will miss him with every breath we take.

He left this earthly world with a song in his ear and peace in heart.  Fly high our sweet angel until we meet again.  Per Phil’s wishes, he will be cremated with a private family service where he will be entombed in the water fall and healing gardens mausoleum in Oak Grove Cemetery.

He is survived by his father, Michael (Jan Powell) Sweeney; mother, Rev. Jeanette Thompson Thorp (Dennis); children, Madeline and John Sweeney; sister, Amilyn (Robert) Twedt; nephews, Kevin and Kenny Twedt; best friend and soulmate, Jolene Doering and several loving aunts, uncles and cousins.

He is preceded in death by paternal grandparents, Quentin and Nelda (Wendland) Sweeney; maternal grandparents, Tilford Thompson and Loretta (Tostrud) Thompson Blank; step grandfathers, Bernard Blank and LeRoy Veglan; nieces and nephews, Mina, James and Eva Twedt; aunts and uncles, Joann and Eddie, Hamlin, Beverly and Eugene Donaldson, and Steven Thompson.

He requested a celebration of life later this spring in a park.  We will make a public notification later with a date and location.

In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred and will be placed into a bank account for the Phil Foundation to support youth bowlers to afford equipment and tournament fees.  This is the best way to honor Phil and continue on his bowling legacy.

We would like to thank the hospice and palliative care teams at Gundersen for going above and beyond.  The love and care they showed was felt and helped us through his passing.  A special thank you to Cullen and Dr. Lee of the palliative care team, Daniel on the hospice team, and the wonderful nurses on the oncology unit, especially Caylee and Anna, and Joe at the Coulee Region Cremation Group for his outstanding care and support.