Obituary of Phillip Alan Vivlamore

NORWOOD — Phillip Alan Vivlamore, 63, passed away on July 23, 2024 at his property in Norwood, NY, after a hard-fought battle with pancreatic cancer. Phil leaves behind his loving and devoted wife of 34 years, Cindy, a cherished and loving daughter Sarah, both of his parents, two brothers, a sister, and several nieces and nephews. He was born to John Vivlamore and Kathryn Dart Vivlamore on March 6, 1961, in Plattsburg, NY. His family moved to Hannawa Falls when he was still a toddler, and he attended the last one-room schoolhouse in Hannawa until he started middle school at Potsdam Central. Upon graduation in 1979, he then attended North Country Community College for Business Administration. There he played hockey and in 2017 was one of the first inductees to the NCCC Hall of Fame as the college’s first All American player in hockey. Phil also worked at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid and witnessed the Miracle on Ice and met several of the star athletes of that time. Phil met his wife in 1985 in Syracuse, NY and in 1990 they were married in Massena, NY. Their only child, Sarah, was born in 1997 and they purchased their first home in Norwood the same year. Phil loved the beach and the family took multiple trips to the Caribbean Islands and Florida during the long winter months. Phil was considered a workaholic but enjoyed playing golf when there was time. His most favorite thing was watching his daughter play basketball. Phil and a couple other parents formed a local AAU basketball team and the family spent many weekends traveling around NY and beyond watching her compete. Phil always dreamed of opening his own business and in 1987 he opened the Norwood Laundromat on top of the hill next to Doran’s garage. In 1995, Phil opened the Sears Hometown Store in Potsdam, NY, and successfully operated the business for 23 years. In 2006, Phil and a partner acquired a Sears Catalog Store location in Saranac Lake, NY. They changed it into a Sears Hometown Store where the partner managed the day-to-day operations. The store closed around 2012. The laundromat closed in 2007 and Phil sold his Potsdam Sears business and retired in 2017. He and his wife moved to Englewood Florida in 2019, where they enjoyed many activities together such as pickleball, kayaking and their favorite activity, stone crabbing on Lemon Bay. As per Phil’s wishes, there will be no wake or funeral. The Buck Funeral Home in Norwood will be handling the arrangements for his cremation. Also at Phil’s request, at a future date, his wife and daughter will scatter some of his ashes on Treasure Island, Florida; a favorite vacation spot for his family. Phil’s remaining ashes will be buried at Bayside Cemetery, Potsdam, NY. Donations can be made to Hospice of St. Lawrence Valley in Phil’s memory and memories and condolences may be shared online at www.buckfuneralhome.com .