Philip Hampton, co-owner and innkeeper of the Village Inn & Restaurant in Monte Rio and president of the Monte Rio Chamber of Commerce, died of a stroke Monday. He was 54.
Hampton's death has shocked and saddened many in the Russian River business community, which Hampton had championed since he and his longtime partner Mark Belhumeur bought the Village Inn in 2001.
"He absolutely just instilled so much passion about Monte Rio and the rest of the Russian River community," said Cathy LaPlante, a close friend and secretary of the Monte Rio Chamber of Commerce. "All of his volunteerism was so heart felt."
Hampton was a soft-spoken business leader who had a way of bringing the local community together, often opening his doors to local meetings and events.
"Very few people did not know of him and what he did for this community," LaPlante said.
Born in Rantoul, Ill., Hampton spent much of his childhood in Vacaville. He graduated from Vacaville High School in 1975 and attended Louise Salinger Academy of Fashion in San Francisco, with dreams of becoming a fashion designer.
He had his name legally changed when he was in his 20s, Belhumeur said, adding that his given name was William Hampton Terry Jr.
"He wanted to be a clothes designer and he thought that would be a good fashion name," Belhumeur said.
Instead, Hampton went to work for Pacific Bell as a 411 operator and later for the company's consumer affairs and billing reconciliation departments.
After taking an early retirement from Pacific Bell, he went to work for Anderson Consulting, where he was responsible for arranging large corporate events and bi-annual retreats, meetings and parties. He then worked for Pyramid Consulting, developing human resource software applications for corporate clients such as SyBase and GTE.
While he was with Anderson and Pyramid, Hampton and Belhumeur owned and operated a holiday design company that did custom holiday displays for corporate buildings in San Francisco. The company was eventually half sold and half donated to Delancy Street Foundation.
In 1994, Hampton and Belhumeur purchased a weekend cabin in Monte Rio. It was the beginning of a love affair with the West County resort area.
"We enjoyed the Russian River area in our cabin for years and it got harder and harder to leave on Sunday to go back to the Bay Area," Belhumeur said.
Belhumeur, who has worked in the hotel business since the mid 1970s, said he always toyed with the "fantasy" of opening up a business in Monte Rio, possibly a restaurant. When the Village Inn & Restaurant became available, the opportunity was too good to pass up.
Their cabin was just up the hill from the inn, where they had dined there many times.
"We approached the project thinking if it's meant to be, it's meant to be," Belhumeur said. "We sold our place in the East Bay and lived and worked together full time at the Village Inn....He followed my passion....He did that for me."
Not long after they arrived, Hampton became a strong supporter of the local business community and joined the local chamber.
He also served on the board of directors of the Russian River Chamber of Commerce and was a founding member of EcoRing, a non-profit group aimed at promoting eco-tourism in the lower Russian River.
"He was soft spoken, didn't like the spotlight," Belhumeur said. "He was a very honest-to-God humble, selfless person that had nothing but friends. You couldn't help but love him."
Hampton and Belhumeur were married Nov. 4, 2008.
Hampton also is survived by his mother, Ella Terry of Vacaville; his brother, Mark Terry of El Dorado Hills; his sisters, Linda Christiansen of Huntington, Ind., Tracey Portee and Marie Keen of Vacaville.
A celebration of Hampton's life will be held Sunday, Sept. 11 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Village Inn & Restaurant, 20822 River Blvd., Monte Rio, (707) 865-2307.
Donations may be made to the Monte Rio Chamber of Commerce.
- Martin Espinoza
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