'Phillip Gordon Catron, was born in the Sunnybrook community of Wayne County, May 5, 1939 the son of the late J.Fred and Sibyl Stringer Catron. He passed away Wednesday morning, June 27th at the Jean Waddle Hospice Care Unit in Somerset.
On August 15, 1963 he was united in marriage to Dorcas Walker Catron who survives. Also surviving is his sister, Elsie Catron Denney; nephew, Kevin Denney and great niece, Emma Denney
He attended the one room school at Sunnybrook. He graduated Wayne County High School in 1957 and later attended Cumberland College where he graduated in 1962. After only one year at Cumberland he was employed by the Wayne County School Board to teach in a one room school in the Dry Hollow community, where he rode horseback across the mountain from his child hood home to teach. His second teaching position was at Jennings Hollow and his third at Sunnybrook. After obtaining his degree he taught the fifth grade at Turner Intermediate and in the fall of 1964, he became Principal of the newly constructed Powersburg Elementary School. In 1968 he became Principal of Bell Elementary. In 1969 he got his Rank 1 in School Administration from Eastern Kentucky University. In 1970 he moved to the Principalship at the Turner Building that housed grades seven and eight with students shuttled each period for some of their classes. He served there for three years. He became Principal of Walker Elementary in 1975 and remained there until his retirement in 1989.
After his retirement he worked as a real estate agent with Edwards Reality and managed his own real estate investments until his health began to fail. He could always be found at local community events and was an active member of the Monticello Lions Club where he held every position and was president of the Kentucky Lion's Eye Foundation in 2001 and 2002. Phillip was a member of the Mental Health Retardation Board from 1966 to 1972. He was the president of the Wayne County Historical Society when the Breeding Hotel was purchased for the Museum. He researched numerous books concerning the history of Wayne County especially southwest Wayne County. He was awarded the title of Kentucky Colonel.
Phillip retired in 1989 as Principle with the Wayne County School System.
He worked as a real estate agent with Edwards Reality and managed his own real estate investments until his failing health. He could always be found at local community events and was an active member of the Monticello Lions Club. Phillip was a lifetime member of the Pleasant Hill Baptist Church and faithfully attended the Steubenville Baptist Church in his later years.',