Paul Curtis

Paul Curtis was an honest and caring man who lived his life dedicated to his family. He was a very hard working and generous person; an attentive and loving father and grandfather. Paul tried every day to be the best man he could, and was rewarded with a life of happiness for his efforts.

1916 was a year full of excitement on all fronts. In science, Albert Einstein had just completed his theory of relativity and in entertainment, Charlie Chaplin signed a contract for an unprecedented $10,000 per week. The political scene, too, was dynamic as World War I raged through the cities and fields of Europe. Amidst all of these events that came to define the era, George and Elizabeth (Stewart) Curtis of Union City, Tennessee, welcomed the birth of their son, Paul, on April 5, 1916.

Paul spent his growing up years in Tennessee, where he attended school. He was in his early 20s when he came to Michigan, settling in Muskegon, but it wasn’t long before he answered the call to duty and enlisted in the U.S. Army on April 10, 1941. He proudly served with the 938th Field Artillery Battalion during World War II and saw action in Normandy, Northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes and Central Europe.

After his honorable discharge, Paul returned to Muskegon, where he found work as a millwright at Lakey Foundry. During his 32 years at Lakey, he was also a union steward and it was said that there are some photographs of him with other fellow union employees hung in the local museum. Following Lakey’s closing, Paul went to work at Campbell Wyant and Cannon Foundry for another ten years, until his retirement in 1982. A man of staunch work ethics, Paul always held himself to a high standard and took great pride in doing the best job he could with whatever task was at hand.

After the war, Paul found the love of his life, Elizabeth “Bette” Gillish. The two were introduced through Bette’s brother Joe shortly after the war and a romance soon blossomed. Paul and Bette were married on June 17, 1950, in Shelby, Michigan, by the Justice of the Peace. They were blessed with four beautiful daughters, Noreen, Bonnie, Paula and Kelly. A true family man, Paul’s happiest moments always involved the time he spent with his wife and daughters. He always put his family first in his heart and through his example, he taught them the value of hard work, a virtue worthy of imitation. After losing his wife Bette on June 6, 1981, Paul and his daughter Kelly began sharing the household duties. Although Paul was willing to attempt any needed task, Kelly remembers that his cooking skills were somewhat limited. She talks of the time she came home to one of her dad’s suppers and discovered that the pudding he had made for their dessert was actually the gravy for their potatoes.

When he wasn’t working, Paul loved to go hunting, particularly for rabbits and pheasants. Paul was also an excellent gardener and absolutely loved to be out tending to his “small” garden. What he thought was a small garden spot, actually took up about an acre and much of it he tilled by hand with just a shovel and hoe.

Paul was always active in several organizations in his community. He was a member of the VFW Don Rea Post #8846, Disabled American Veterans, Muskegon Eagles and Moose Lodge #491, as well as a member of Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church.

For the past 17 years, Paul was blessed with the companionship of Dollie Ernst. Although Paul enjoyed playing cards over the years, it was Dollie that taught him how to play cribbage. Not only did he and Dollie play countless games together, he also played regularly with his children and grandchildren. Quite often on Friday and Saturday nights, Paul and Dollie would be out dancing at the Moose or anywhere else that a favorite band of theirs might be playing. The two of them also enjoyed numerous trips together.

Of all the wonderful things in Paul’s life, nothing was more important to him than his family, especially his precious grandchildren. Each of their births added yet another incredible blessing in his life and he poured the same amount of love into these relationships as he did with his own daughters. The grandchildren have many wonderful memories of visiting their Grandpa and going out for lunch together. It was a pretty special day when Grandpa picked them up from school and took them to Arby’s or Wendy’s. There was always laughter and giggles in the air when Grandpa was around. And when the phone would ring and the grandchildren heard a deep familiar voice saying, “Hello, this is Grandpa”, it would undoubtedly bring a smile to their face.

Paul was a witty man and loved to share his sense of humor with everyone around him. Perhaps it will be his favorite saying, “Only good snake is a dead one” (he really despised snakes) that will come to mind when remembering him or his infamous “gosh dern .” But above all else, Paul will be lovingly remembered as an honest hard worker with an unconditional love for his family. He will be deeply missed.

Paul Curtis, age 89, died on Monday, April 25, 2005. He is SURVIVED by his children: Noreen (William) Keglovitz of Grand Haven, Bonnie (Randy) Shaw of Traverse City, Paula (Dan) Poel of Whitehall and Kelly Woirol of Muskegon; eight grandchildren: Hollie (Greg) Alkema, Lauren and Leslie Shaw, Vanessa and Jessica Poel, Ryan, Erin and Bryton Woirol; one brother, Bill (Pat) Curtis of Highland, AR, and one sister, Irene (Lee) White of Mammoth Springs, AR. Paul is also survived by his companion, Dollie Ernst. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Bette, and his other siblings.

The MASS OF CHRISTIAN BURIAL will be offered on Friday, April 29, at 11:00 a.m. at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church with Fr. Michael Olson presiding. Interment will be in St. Mary’s Cemetery with full military honors provided by the Don Rea VFW Post 8846. VISITATION will be on Wednesday, April 27, from 7-9 p.m. and Thursday, April 28, from 2-4 p.m. at the Heritage Life Story Funeral Home-Achterhoff Chapel. The Rosary will be prayed Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. at the funeral home. Please visit Paul’s personal memory page at www.lifestorynet.com where you may share a memory, order flowers or make a memory contribution in his memory.