Longtime Strip hotel worker Bader dies at 72

Monday, April 28, 2003 | 9:32 a.m.

Phillip "Philly" Bader, who started in construction on the Strip and moved to a career in the hotel industry, died Saturday in Las Vegas.

He was 72.

Born on Oct. 2, 1930, in Cleveland, Bader moved to Las Vegas in 1950 after serving in the Army for two years.

A family friend brought him into the casino business, starting him on a construction crew at the Tropicana in the early 1950s before he was 21. After his 21st birthday, he started his casino career at the Desert Inn.

Bader worked at many of the major hotels, including the Dunes, Riviera and Tropicana.

He and his wife, Sharon, were involved in several local civic organizations.

In addition to his casino career, Bader was interested in horse racing, spending time each summer at the races in Del Mar, Calif., Sharon Bader said Sunday.

Services are scheduled 11 a.m. Tuesday at the King David Memorial Chapel at Palm Mortuary on Eastern Avenue.

In addition to his wife, Bader is survived by a brother, Marvin Bader, of Oceanside, Calif.

The family requests that donations be sent to Nathan Adelson Hospice.