Dr. Phiroze "Phil" Lovji Hansotia, 82, of Ellison Bay, died peacefully late Tuesday night, June 23, 2020 at Door County Medical Center in Sturgeon Bay with family at his side.
He was born November 8, 1937 in Deolali, India, the son of Lovji C. Hansotia and Banu Sohrab (Bhathena) Hansotia. Phil attended St. Mary's High School, a British prep school, in Bombay. Among his various courses of study was British literature, which facilitated his love for language. Upon Phil's graduation from St. Mary's, he went on study at St. Xavier's College in Bombay. Inspired by his paternal grandfather, Phil had aspirations of becoming a doctor. He studied at Nagpur India Medical School. There, he began keeping a diary, and his love for writing flourished.
Phil broke with tradition, and rather than going to Great Britain for further training, he had his sights set on the United States, where he knew the best (medical) technology existed. He initially interned at a hospital in Erie, PA then completed a residency at the University of Cincinnati in Ohio. Phil received a fellowship at the University of Wisconsin-Madison for neurology and specialized in electrophysiology.
While in Madison, he met Marilyn Carol Fahning who was working as a public health nurse. They were married on January 21, 1967 in Milwaukee. They moved to London where Phil worked at the National Hospital for Neurological Diseases at Queens Square and also taught and conducted research.
He accepted a position at Marshfield Clinic in Wisconsin, where he had an opportunity to build the neurology program there. Marshfield's (neurology) program became world-renowned during his years of practice from 1970-1997. He also developed a Sleep Medicine department and trained EEG technicians. In addition to practicing medicine, conducting and publishing research and giving presentations, Phil provided medical care in under-developed countries outside of the United States. He served as an adjunct Clinical Professor of Neurology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison from 1989-1998.
Phil and Marilyn retired to Door County in 2004 and made their home in Ellison Bay. While in Door County, he was a member of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Ephraim, The Wallace Group (a Door County poetry group), the Door County Land Trust, the Ellison Bay Service Club, Ellison Bay Historical Society, and the Clearing. Professionally, Phil was a member of the Society of Clinical Neurologists.
With his love for writing and poetry, he published his first book of poetry, "Somewhere There", followed by "Looking for America" in 2012. He loved spending time with family and friends, biking, reading, playing tennis, painting, traveling to familiar places and to new lands and so much more.
Phil will be missed by his wife, Marilyn, with whom he was blessed with over 53 years of marriage; son and daughter, Eric Phiroze (Nicole) Hansotia of Alpharetta, GA and Shirene (John Herms) Hansotia of Mt. Pleasant, SC; grandchildren, Everett Hansotia and Alexa Chase; brother and sister, Noshir (Hootoxy) Hansotia of Phoenix, AZ and Nina (Myron "Mike") Myers of Los Altos Hills, CA; and other relatives.
He was preceded in death by his parents.
Arrangements are pending for Phil's life to honored at a later date. Interment will be in the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship Memorial Gardens in Ephraim.
Memorials may be given in Phil's memory for Habitat For Humanity; Doctors Without Borders; American Red Cross; Write On Door County; and The Clearing (in Door County).
Casperson Funeral Home & Cremation Services in Sister Bay is assisting the Hansotia family. Expressions of sympathy, memories, and photos of Phil may be shared with his family through his tribute page at www.caspersonfuneralhome.com.
