Dr. Philip Mark Soergel attended Muskingum College in New Concord, Ohio, before pursuing his doctorate in History at the University of Michigan.

Phil taught at Arizona State University in Tempe.  After the publication of his acclaimed 1993 book, he became a member of the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, NJ.

He also served as a visiting professor at the University of Bielefeld for a time.In 2005, they moved to Columbia, MD, for him to teach at the University of Maryland, College Park. After the publication of Miracles and the Protestant Imagination in 2012, Phil was promoted to full professor before starting his decade as chair of the History Department, a term that ended in 2022.

Philip was predeceased by his father Ray Clare Soergel, a brother and his much beloved wife Marcia Willis Soergel.

He is survived by his daughter, his son, his mother, Donna Lee (ne Porter) Soergel, his sister, and by his aunt, cousins, nieces, and nephews; and by his many intimate and lifelong friends and colleagues around the world.

The funeral service took place on January 13, 2026.

A celebration of life will be planned for the spring in the Memorial Chapel at the University of Maryland, College Park.