Philip Vega, 72, died April, 8, 2026, at the Canyon Vista Medical Center, Sierra Vista, AZ.
Phil was born on a Sunday -- Aug. 16, 1953 -- in Junction City, Ks., 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.
While in high school, Phil worked part-time at the Junction City Daily Union and that sparked his interest in an eventual 40-year career. As a high schooler 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, over different periods of time, he was put in charge of many departments. Job titles included composing room foreman, circulation manager, TV station manager for K6KZ-TV; and managing editor of the Daily Union from 1985-1992.
Besides work, he committed himself to helping many area groups and organizations. He was proud of serving on the 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 at Al Simpler Stadium.
During his time as chairman of the committee, he and members raised funds which led to its solvency. And they recruited volunteers to quadruple the size of the stage at Dedication Point, Milford Lake and upgraded electricity to host better performing artists in future years.
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 Leader
ship graduate and a St. Xavier School Board member. In September, 1988, he accompanied the Big Red One to REFORGER exercises to Germany as well as reported about the division’s activities at the National Training Center in California.
In 1992, the family moved to Roanoke Rapids, N.C. As managing editor, Phil was mentored by Stephen Woody, one of the best newspaper publishers he ever met. After four years in North Carolina, Phil and his family moved to Sierra Vista, AZ where he became the general manager of the Sierra Vista Herald/Bisbee Daily Review. He was named publisher of those newspapers in 2003.
He continued his community involvement, serving as 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 also was named the recipient of the Ken Ferguson Award as best chamber board member for 1998-1999.
Over the years, other groups he was involved with 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 Buena High School student newspaper, The Pegasus. And he enjoyed being debate moderator for congressional district and local political races and being an emcee at the Cochise Cowboy Poetry and Music Gathering for many years.
He served on the Arizona Newspapers Association board of directors as well as the National Newspaper Association board of directors.
As a K-State graduate, he followed the Wildcats closely and was a big fan of not only the teams but the university. He had a passion for collecting music and watching live performances. His vinyl album and compact disc collections number in the thousands. He also saw hundreds of concerts over the years. Among the highlights were: 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, Ariz. 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.
Phil was also predeceased by his parents, Audrey and Manuel, as well as a sister, Pamela, who died at birth.