After serving his country in Vietnam, Phil Ewert was hired by the National City Fire Department in 1970. Over the course of his 33-year career with the department, he served as a firefighter, engineer and captain. He was a tremendous leader, not only as a fire captain, but also as a union president. He was an avid hunter and fisherman, spending every fall hunting in Wyoming, and many summers fishing in the Sea of Cortez with family and friends. Phil was a devoted husband, father and grandfather who loved his family more than life. He is survived by his wife, Eileen, his son, Jeffrey, daughters, Jennifer and Heather, and seven grandchildren. He died in 2016 after succumbing to the effects of job-related cancer.