Philip Sherburne Constable, deceased November 22, was born in Madrid, Spain on May 27, 1960. His father, a diplomat, was stationed in Vigo where Mr. Constable spent his first year. Thus began a life of travel: Honduras, Pakistan, and trips to Zaire and Kenya where his parents served as Ambassadors. Washington was home base in between his parents’ posts and summers always included as much time as possible in the Big Horn Mountains of Wyoming. In Washington, Mr. Constable attended Georgetown Day School, and after moving back to Pakistan he graduated from the International School of Islamabad in 1978. He returned to the United States to attend Hamilton College, receiving a Summa Cum Laude degree in English Literature in 1982. Mr. Constable spent a brief period in New York, where he received a Master’s degree in accounting from New York University in 1983. In 1986 he earned his Master’s in Business Administration from Harvard Business School. Throughout these years, Mr. Constable collected friends from all corners of the globe.
Mr. Constable began his professional career at Bain & Company, and was a Principal at Bain Holdings. Subsequently, he was the COO of Wolverine, a manufacturer of industrial ovens and dryers, and later a partner at The Lucas Group, a boutique strategy consulting firm that served private equity investors and corporate clients. Most recently, he co-founded The Newton Strategy Group, a consulting firm that provides market due diligence to private equity firms.
An avid squash player, golfer, outdoorsman and sports enthusiast in general, Mr. Constable was known for his fierce competitive spirit and unflappable sportsmanship. The Union Boat Club of Boston has established an annual award in Mr. Constable’s name to honor the squash player “who exemplifies tenacity, determination, and, above all, an unwavering commitment to sportsmanship.”
Mr. Constable is survived by his wife, Melinda Kahle Constable, and their three children, Peter, Oliver, and Hannah, as well as his mother Elinor Greer Constable of Washington, D.C., a brother, Robert Dalton Constable II of Boulder, Colorado, and a sister, Julia Constable-Allen of Gaithersburg, Maryland.
A Celebration of Philip's life will be held on Saturday, December 6 at 1:00 PM at The Country Club (191 Clyde Street) in Brookline, Massachusetts. Melinda and the children will not be wearing black, and we request that people not wear jeans or suits.
In lieu of flowers, gifts in Mr. Constable’s memory may be made to the Prostate Cancer Foundation. A special page has been set up to donate in Philip’s memory at:
http://www.pcf.org/site/c.leJRIROrEpH/b.7084327/k.790C/Special_In_Memory_Of_Pages.htm