Philip Waterinks, who devoted his life to supporting the Tucson agricultural community and improving access to healthy food, died at the age of 62.
He was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2012 and later remitted. In 2018, the cancer recurred and spread throughout his body. He died on June 10th at Peppi’s House, a Tucson hospice care center, said David Watson, Waterinckx’s best friend and caregiver.
“He was a good person, and he touched so much life through CSA,” Watson said. “If you knew him, you would love him automatically.”
Waterinckx founded Tucson Community Support Agriculture in 2004. Help local farmers make healthy foods available to people and build communities around them.
Through the Tucson CSA, community members sign up for seasonal vegetable subscriptions from local farms to provide producers with a consistent end market.
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Born in Belgium, Waterinckx spent most of his adolescence in the Republic of the Congo, where he learned how to grow his vegetables as a food source for him and his neighbors.
Tucson Community Support Agriculture was inspired by Waterinckx’s experience in Congo.
“He believed in the community, he believed in helping local farmers, and wanted to bring them together,” said Daniela Diamente, co-director of CSA.
Waterinckx founded Tucson CSA when he was a graduate student at the University of Arizona.
CSA started with picking up on the Waterinckx pouch with only 15 members. As the CSA grew, he moved operations to the courtyard of Historic Y, 738 N. Fifth Avenue.
Currently, CSA has about 400 members and is affiliated with three main farms (Crooked Sky Farms, Sleeping Frog Farm and Common Ground Farm).
“If I hadn’t found CSA, my life would have been completely different. It’s not only my main source of work and income, but also my main source of interaction with the community,” said CSA’s co-director. Sarah Jones says.
The core values of Tucson CSA are local agriculture and production, seasonal local diet, dietary education, ethical sourcing, fair food system, and community collaboration.
“I think he achieved what he wanted through the Tucson CSA,” said Diamente.
Waterinckx lived in different countries throughout his life. However, he regarded Tucson as his adoption home.
He was passionate about traveling and cooking.
“He liked making pasta recipes, and he was great,” Watson said. “Most of his recipes are just what he throws with.”
His favorite dish was a Flemish dish called Waterzooi, a chicken soup with green onions and lots of vegetables. “It’s a familiar and important recipe for him, so if it’s cool enough to drink soup, he’ll make it on a special occasion,” Watson said.
Waterinckx has created an online blog — Rings of Water. There, he shared the latest information on cancer travel, health and treatment with an optimistic approach.
“I think it was his way of humanizing the process of someone experiencing cancer and handling it themselves,” Diamente said. “But he has people all over the world who love and care for him, so it was a way to tell what was going on.”
Waterinckx has titled the penultimate post “Pain”. Here I write about the pain she has experienced in the last two years.
“It’s difficult to manage pain, especially if it’s caused by multiple causes,” writes Waterinckx.
His loved one remembers him as a kind-hearted person who loved to help others.
To commemorate his work with Waterinckx and the Tucson community, CSA is working on creating a small mosaic mural in the historic Y courtyard. Due to the summer heat of Tucson, the Waterinckx monument will not be held in the Historic Y courtyard until November 5th.
Waterinckx is survived by her husband, Paul Durham, a former Tucson city council member representing District 3.
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