Robert Philip Shimmin III's Obituary
Robert Philip “Phil” Shimmin III left this earth on December 4th, 2024, he left a legacy filled with heartwarming tales of a man who touched many lives in many ways. Phil’s most popular mark is a movie trailer that showcases Hawaii and its unique culture. The Consolidated Theater movie trailer has opened every movie since 1991 and has been viewed millions of times. Honolulu Magazine once quoted him reflecting, “I think I am more proud of this than anything I have done in my life.”
Phil was a kind, caring, funny, generous, and witty man who was devoted to his beautiful wife Carol Lee, who predeceased him in 2019: They had been married for 55 years. He was born in Illinois on October 11th, 1941, and moved to Los Angeles when he was 6 years old. Those early years with cold, snowy winters would influence Phil’s love of the warm climate of Southern California and eventually draw him to Hawaii.
Raised by a father who was a mechanical engineer and Captain in WW2 and a mother homemaker who played piano and threw great parties, Phil developed an interesting combination of being a dependable, well-disciplined, fun guy who could carry a gathering with great humor and an unwavering positive attitude. He was honored to attend the prestigious Harvard Military Preparatory Academy in Studio City from which he graduated in 1960. The friends from Harvard remained close over the years and when Phil recently traveled to their 60th reunion it wasn’t the typical gathering to share stories from high school days because they had remained friends throughout their lives. These men were brothers in spirit, and for Phil, being an only child, these bonds of friendship were golden. It is an example of how Phil felt about all he knew. He treated others as family and valued their friendship.
Phil went on to the University of Arizona, and for practical reasons, left before graduating. He had met the woman of his dreams and had landed a job that would be the beginning of his career. Carol was a cashier and Phil was an usher. They worked at the Encino Theatre together and he was taken by her blonde curls and gentle smile. She spilled the tickets on her first day of work, and he was lucky to be the guy to help her pick them up. The two dated, which meant that Carol had to change theaters (it was against company policy for ushers and cashiers to date). Phil was offered a management position, then promoted to District Manager. This led to a position as Purchasing Agent in the home office of Pacific Theatres. Pacific is owned by the Forman family and the colleagues were family to Phil and Carol. His devotion to the mission never wavered and he worked for them for 49 years.
As a Purchasing Agent in the entertainment industry, Phil oversaw distributing tickets as perks to fellow employees. He had access to many forms of entertainment, from movie premieres to ball games, theme parks, and many concerts. Their home was always filled with music and his favorite album was Hot August Night by Neil Diamond. He and Carol had been at that concert and loved to share the story of that night together. They never missed a beat and always had music playing with the party spirit in the house.
Phil & Carol had an adventurous side, too. As Phil was an only child, they were very close to Carol’s only sibling Janet. The sisters planned a double wedding and had their children at the same time. Phil and Carol had two children by the time Carol was 23, so in their youth, with their kids, they enjoyed skiing, sailing, playing tennis, fishing, and backpacking all over the Sierra Nevadas. Over the years, they would share stories like how Phil nearly missed his daughter Karen’s birth while climbing Mount Whitney and the bears that tore into their packs while backpacking with his son Bob. There was also a Folboat that he built in his garage, and the wooden boxes he crafted while Carol would sew and knit keepsakes to fill them with gifts.
Some knew Phil as a boss, others a comrade, and others had brief encounters with him when he would volunteer his time to help the community: like when he taught inmates to read who were part of a rehabilitation program or volunteered as a mentor for the Adult Friends for Youth. He would always make folks feel at home and welcome, and loved giving out movie passes and sharing bottles of wine.
In 1987, Phil was asked if he would like to move to Hawaii to run Consolidated Theatres. He said yes on the spot, without consulting Carol, which is something they always had a laugh about. Moving to Hawaii was another chapter in Phil’s career, but more than that, he found people welcoming and the lifestyle a perfect match. He set to work on projects like building the Kapolei and Ko’olau Theatres, creating the concept of Ward Center offering dining and entertainment in one spot, adding stadium seating during renovations, bringing IMAX to Waikiki, and creating the famous movie trailer.
While adjusting to their new Hawaii lifestyle, grandchildren were born: Melissa, Pearl, Noel, and John Philip. As the first grandchild, Melissa was Phil & Carol’s pride and joy. When she came to visit, life came to a standstill, and it was all about their precious bundle of joy: She had launched the grandparent era. Melissa and her husband Stuart have just added a great-grandchild to the family, June Grace Porter, whom they would have been over the moon to have met in person.
As Phil approached retirement, he and Carol spent more time golfing, and they joined the Oahu Country Club. They now had another new family of friends and comrades. Phil was President of OCC for the 2006 Centennial year, while Carol was the President of OCC’s Ladies Golf Association. The community at OCC was like a family for them, and they spent many years trying to lower their scores.
For the past few years, Phil lived with his daughter and family. They traveled the globe together and had many adventures supporting grandkids racing sailboats across North America, Europe, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia. Phil was called Papa by all the sailors and met new friends that spanned the globe. He supported the grass roots program that brought the new sport of foiling to Hawaii and the Hawaii Kai Boat Foundation’s Shimmin Foil Fund continues to help many young sailors in the state get access to top foil coaching and gear. He always had a positive attitude and would encourage all with cheers and support. After racing, he would never turn down a beer at the yacht club and made new friends around the globe. He would often talk about Carol and how she would have loved the adventures and success of their progeny.
Phil and his comrades were the original group who first formed the Producers’ Club at the Diamond Head Theatre. The mission was successful in building a supportive community by adding season tickets with a pre-show dinner package and a wall of recognition in the theatre. The Club grew support for the small theatre from the broader community and ultimately raised enough funds to build a new Diamond Head Theatre that opened in 2023.
Phil and Carol led full lives together. They had no regrets. They shared their love for sport and good company wherever they went. They are survived by their son Robert P. Shimmin IV, daughter Karen K. Lattanzi and her husband John F. Lattanzi Jr, four grandchildren, and one great grandchild. Their love for each other never wavered and they have reunited in the Heavens: enjoying a fine wine and celebrating their love eternally.
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