Phillip Douglas Merwarth

A Celebration of Life service for Phillip Douglas Merwarth, 84, will be held at 108 Laurel Lane, in Townville, SC, on January 10, 2026, at 2 pm ET. Phil passed away from complications due to a fall on Wednesday, October 22, 2025. Born in Easton, Pennsylvania, Phil was the son of Charles William Merwarth and Violet May Ferry Merwarth. Phil attended Moravian University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, earning a BS in mathematics. He also attended the University of Cincinnati to take astronomy courses. Phil married Ann Chance Merwarth in 1965 and raised two children, Stephen Douglas Merwarth and Jennifer Ann Merwarth Scott, in Gambrills, Maryland. Phil enjoyed his later years with his second wife, Corinne Wolfrum Merwarth, in Leesburg, Florida. Phil had a distinguished career at NASA, where he worked for over 30 years. Phil programmed the first mainframe computers for NASA and contributed to space missions, including multiple Apollo launches with science programs and the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope. In addition to technical skills, Phil managed a team of developers at NASA. The software Phil and his team developed supported spacecraft design, operations, and the ground systems for many successful missions. Phil was a kind and gentle father who loved playing tennis with his children and neighbors. He spent a lot of time sailing with family and friends on the Chesapeake Bay and enjoyed the sleepy Bay towns like St. Michael’s and Oxford. Phil was an excellent ice skater, which he perfected while growing up with his brother Norman Merwarth on a beautiful 22-acre farm with a pond in Pen Argyl, Pennsylvania. Working at NASA wasn’t just a career for Phil. He loved anything related to space and spent time with his children gazing at the stars with various telescopes he collected. Phil was also a technologist at heart. He knew multiple programming languages and taught his children about the very first computers, leading them to become engineers later. Phil had a love of food, with incredibly diverse tastes. He especially enjoyed Maryland crab cakes and steamed crabs, milkshakes, key lime pie, roast pork egg foo young, and any type of pizza. One of his favorite places was Ocean City on Maryland’s eastern shore, where he could wander the boardwalk just eating and drinking. He frequented Thrasher’s for French fries, Dough Roller for pizza, and Dumser’s Dairyland for milkshakes on family vacations with his children. Phil also enjoyed cruising, mostly for the variety of food options as well as for gambling, which he loved whether on a ship, in Las Vegas, or in a local Florida casino. Phil’s survivors include his wife Corinne, his son Stephen (Kelly) and daughter Jennifer (Todd), his step-daughter Katie (John) Bell, his three grandchildren Taylor Scott, Russell Scott, and Owen Merwarth, and his brother Norman (Carole) and their daughter Robin (Dean) Turner. Arrangements entrusted to Beyers Funeral Home of Leesburg, Florida.

Phillip Douglas Merwarth

January 10, 1941 - October 22, 2025