Ceis operated a family construction business in West Seattle, Seattle, WA.

Married Margaret Ceis; she championed various civil rights causes.

One son, Timothy Yorke Ceis (born 09/1955), became Deputy Mayor of Seattle, WA, under Greg Nickels; Ceis gained the reputation as a hard ball political operator, earning the nickname, "The Shark."

The surname is pronounced "cease." Philip Ceis appeared before Senator Joseph McCarthy's farcical but unfortunately influential House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) when it held hearings in Seattle, WA, in 1954; Ceis was grilled about his former Communist Party connections, which he refused to divulge. For this, he and his family received the cold shoulder from some in his West Seattle Neighborhood, damaging his construction business.