Philip Leroy Vega

Philip Leroy Vega
1953 - 2026

Philip Vega, 72, died April, 8, 2026, at the Canyon Vista Medical Center, Sierra Vista, Arizona.

Phil was born on a Sunday -- Augugst 16, 1953 -- in Junction City, Kansas., the only son of Manuel and Audrey (Shaw) Vega. He grew up in JC and due to his parents' faith, received his education at St. Xavier Catholic Schools starting in first grade and ending with high school graduation in 1971.

He married his high school sweetheart, Jolene Beavers, on July 15, 1978 at St. Xavier's Catholic Church. They had two children, Julia and Paul.

Phil and his family first moved to Sierra Vista in February 1996 where he become the general manager of the Sierra Vista Herald/Bisbee Daily Review. He was named publisher of those newspapers in 2003.

During his 19-year tenure as leader of the newspapers he was active in many community organizations and helped support many events. He was a Sierra Vista Chamber of Commerce board member. He organized and launched that chamber's leadership program. In 2004, he was recognized for outstanding service to the chamber. He was named the recipient of the Ken Ferguson Award as best chamber board member for 1998-1999.

Other groups he served included the University of Arizona South Foundation Board; Sierra Vista Rotary Club; Friends of the San Pedro River Board; Cochise County Water Project Board; and the Association of United States Army Board.

He was extremely proud of revitalizing the print edition of the Buena High School student newspaper, The Pegasus. And he enjoyed being debate moderator for congressional district and local races for many election cycles. He also relished being an emcee at the Cochise Cowboy Poetry and Music Gathering for many years.

Respected by his peers, Phil served on the Arizona Newspapers Association board of directors and was later named to the National Newspaper Association's board of directors.

Under his leadership, the Herald/Review was recognized for both its news and advertising content by the Arizona Newspaper Association, The Arizona Press Club, The Associated Press and the Inland Press Association.

As a Kansas State University graduate, he followed the Wildcats closely and was a big fan of not only the teams but the university. Another passion was collecting music and watching live performances. His vinyl albums and compact discs numbered in the thousands. He also saw hundreds of concerts over the years. Among the highlights were shows by Led Zeppelin, Farm Aid III, Eric Clapton, David Bowie, Wings, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, The Rolling Stones, U2 and Sly and the Family Stone. And in case you were wondering, The Beatles are the best rock band ever. And while you may quibble about Bob Dylan's voice, he is America's greatest songwriter.

Phil is survived by Jolene, his wife of 47 years, at the home. Other survivors include his oldest sister, Gloria O'Blanc and her husband Alton of Jennings, La.; sister Susan Filson and her husband Jerry of Sierra Vista, Arizona. He was predeceased by his daughter Julia who died on Jan. 5, 2009 in Sierra Vista. His son, Paul, died March 24, 2021 in Seattle, Wash.

He also was predeceased by his parents, Audrey and Manuel, as well as a sister, Pamela, who died at birth.

Phil developed his passion for the newspaper business when he was just a teenager. As a high schooler, he worked part-time at the Junction City (Kan.) Daily Union and that sparked his interest and an eventual 40-year career. In high school, he wrote a column for the Junction City Republican newspaper. Titled RPM (short for revolutions per minute), it allowed him to write reviews about rock music albums. He also co-hosted a weekly high school radio program on KJCK-FM with his best friend, Kent Stuckey.

He graduated from Kansas State University in 1975 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism and Mass Communications. At the Daily Union, he held management positions in many departments. Those included composing room foreman, circulation manager, TV station manager for K6KZ; and managing editor from 1985-1992.

Besides work, he committed himself to helping many area groups and organizations. He was proud of serving on the Fourth of July Sundown Salute committee starting in 1987 when that event was on the brink of shutting down. He also served as its chairman and led the effort to bring the first major music act to the event when the Charlie Daniels Band played July Fourth week in 1989.

For his civic leadership, he was recognized for outstanding community service to the people of Junction City/Geary County 1989-1990 by the Junction City Chamber of Commerce. He was also a 1990 Crossroads of Leadership graduate and a St. Xavier School Board member. He accompanied the Big Red One to REFORGER exercises to Germany in September 1988 as well as reported about the division's activities at the National Training Center in California.

In 1992, the family moved to Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina. As managing editor, Phil was mentored by Stephen Woody, one of the best newspaper publishers he ever met. After four years in North Carolina, the family moved to Sierra Vista.

Per his wishes, Phil will be cremated. A gathering of friends, acquaintances and family will take place at Sierra Vista Herald on April 17 at 2:00 pm, to reminisce about Phil's life. Memorial donations in Phil's name may be made to the Mayo Clinic, Cancer Research, Phoenix, Arizona., The Kansas State University Foundation, Manhattan, KS., or St. Xavier Catholic Schools, Junction City, Kansas.

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