Philip Warren Bureau

Philip Warren Bureau PhotoMy Veteran / My Hero

  • Presented By/Date: Patricia Bureau Alvarez & Michael Bureau / September 9, 2025
  • Dates of Birth/Death: April 29, 1926 to August 27, 1959
  • Dates of Military Service: May 1943 to April1946
  • Service Branch/Stations: Philip Bureau served as a Pharmacist's Mate aboard the hospital ship USS Samaritan in the South Pacific during World War II. The USS Samaritan went to many places picking up wounded soldiers and bodies of those killed. The places included Saipan, Nagasaki, Okinawa, Guam and Guadacanal. In February 1945 they were at Iwo Jima.
  • Highest Rank: Pharmacist Mate First Class 
  • Veteran's Hometown: Grants Pass, Oregon

After discharge from the Navy in 1946, Philip returned to his former job at Hull & Hull Funeral Home where he had worked for several years before the Navy. Philip then attended San Francisco Mortuary College in San Francisco where he graduated in June 1947. He then returned to Hull & Hull Funeral Home in Grants Pass where he was employed as an embalmer/mortician. He married Beatrice Decker in June 1947 in Grants Pass. They had three children, Michael, Patricia and Paula. Philip joined the Oregon State Police in 1948 where he worked as a patrolman until his death in 1959. Philip passed away while on the job of a massive heart attack. He is remembered for his many activities in the community of Grants Pass including the Active Club where he was instrumental in organizing the first Boatnik in 1959. He was very well liked in the community as he was always looking out for others, regardless of who they were.

  • About this Tribute Tree: Kousa Dogwood
  • Planting Date: October 2025