Obituary of Phillip Anton Hothan

Phillip A. "Phil" Hothan, 33, of Littleton, CO, passed away Monday, March 20, 2023. He is survived by his father, Mark (Elizabeth) Hothan, of St Petersburg, FL; mother, Patricia OKeefe (Mark Stilley), of Cocoa, FL; sister, Patience (Aaron) Tennis, of Duvall, WA and brother, Garrett (Erin) Hothan, of Lakewood, CO. Phillip is also survived by nephews Joseph and Carter Tennis of Duvall, and niece Quinn Hothan of Lakewood.

Phil grew up in the Conifer and Littleton areas and loved the great state of Colorado, especially the sports teams that represent it. Seeing the Colorado Avalanche win their third Stanley Cup over the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2022 gave him immense joy. He especially enjoyed trash-talking this accomplishment with his Florida-based family.

Phil developed a deep love for music and became a consummate, talented, and gifted musician, songwriter, and recording artist. He passionately played piano/keyboard, bass, and guitar. Early on, he was involved in church activities as a member of the Life Teen Band at St. Frances Cabrini Catholic Church in Littleton. Friendship and passion for music led Phil to play in two rock bands throughout his late teens and twenties, the Whodunnit and the Big Green Carpet. He contributed to these bands through songwriting, "slappin-da-bass," playing the keyboard, performing backup vocals, and bringing band members together for game nights. 

Phil had a companionship with Brianna Rivera.  She helped him grow as a person and man. Phil cared for her and her son, Lloyd, immensely, and for over a decade, the three of them formed a tight-knit family.  

Professionally, for the past six years, Phil had been building a career for at Denver Water. He took great pride in serving the Denver Metropolitan area as a Water Quality Engineer. He aimed to gain the knowledge and expertise needed to enter the company's water treatment role. He fondly talked about his work and understanding of the water systems throughout Colorado; it was evident, and you could see his passion for his line of work in the way he performed his tasks at work.. 

Phil was a gentle and compassionate soul who strove to relate to all whom he came in contact with. He cared about people and loved to invest his time into living for today and building moments of joy. As a result, Phil often coordinated game nights filled with friends and laughter that would carry into the wee hours of the morning.

In the past nine years, Phil became an uncle, a role he cherished and excelled at. He loved supporting his nephews and niece, learning through play, puzzles, Legos or scientific games. 

Phil's personality was brightly shown in his condo that he worked so hard to own, filled with a mismatched chess board, cribbage sets, musical instruments, and eclectic art pieces that showed the unique and creative individual that he was. 

Phil's family will hold a small private ceremony, with a Celebration of Life to follow in the summer of 2023. We encourage those who knew him to celebrate his life, friendship, and love by bringing music into their life or contributing to the Take Note Colorado Foundation at https://takenotecolorado.org so that other budding artists can access instruments and music. Phil would not want us to mourn him but to celebrate him, maybe with friends, games, and good whisky. He often said he felt he was born in the wrong era, and while our time with him was painfully short, he has left a lasting impact on those of us lucky enough to call him our son, brother, lover, or friend. 

"And a new day will dawn for those who stand long, and the forests will echo with laughter." -Led Zeppelin

"Then as it was, then again it will be. And though the course may change sometimes, rivers always reach the sea." -Led Zeppelin

"If the sun refused to shine, I'd still be loving you. If mountains crumble to the sea, there will still be you and me." -Led Zeppelin

You can experience Whodunnit’s music at The Whodunnit EP | Whodunnit | whodunnit (bandcamp.com)

And learn about Phil’s work at Mission accomplished for the ‘Guardians of the Water’ | Denver Water