April 18, 1939 – July 24, 2014
The Herl family lost our beloved Patriarch this past week due to a long illness. He passed peacefully into God’s loving hands with his loved ones at his side.
Paul left behind his beloved wife of 53 years, Marie, who he fussed over right until the very end of his life. His children, Christopher Scott (Jacque Derrick), Michael Paul (Angela), Juliana Marie and Jennifer Rebecca, will miss him tremendously as we negotiate our way through life without him. Paul had 8 grandchildren, Katie, Melody (Christopher), Mitchell and Alexa (Michael), Danny (Kirstie Beams), Lidwina, Coy, Maggie (Juliana) and a great-grandson Kaiden (Danny). He is also survived by his brothers, Moris and Leonard of Hays, KS and a sister, Marcella, of Tulsa, OK and special friend, Tom Lerch.
He was born to Paul and Lidwina Herl in Quinter, KS. He enlisted in the army in 1961 and was honorably discharged in 1964. He was a member of the Colorado Air National Guard from 1975-1980. Throughout the years, he worked for Hewlett Packard; Storage Technology Company; Colorado Memory Systems; the band, Cheap Trick; and most recently, Good Day Pharmacy. In addition, he worked in residential real estate for 45 years developing four subdivisions in the Loveland area.
We will remember Dad for his accomplished ballroom dance skills, his “corny” sense of humor, his no-holds barred political discussions, his fair but frank advice on life, his deep devotion to the Catholic church and of course his constant deep love for his family.
Dad’s do-it-yourself mentality on fixing anything that breaks is legendary. He never hesitated to try to fix anything. From changing his own oil, adding a room or two to every house we ever owned, pulling out our loose teeth with a pliers, bandaging our wounds (which should have been seen immediately by a doctor), removing our stitches from wounds incurred from just being boys and taking out ticks from our bodies following camping trips. Our physical pain never quite deterred him from at least trying.
Though he was more prone to living quietly, none of us will ever forget his facial glares when we disappointed him, but also delight in his facial smirk when we amused him or made him proud. Dad had a way of trying to explain things with a constant whiff of frustration in his voice and mannerisms. (This came from years of raising two boys that tested him in every aspect of his life.) Dad truly loved and cared for his immediate family as well as his family back in his native western Kansas. He loved everyone who he knew through work and play.
A reception will be held at Viegut Funeral Home, 1616 N. Lincoln Avenue in Loveland on Saturday, August 2, 2014, from 1-3 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to EWTN, Wounded Warrior Project or the Zor Shriners. A private family service will be held Labor Day weekend. Go to www.viegutfuneralhome.com for condolences.
So long Dad. You will be missed by all but forgotten by none. Our loss is Heaven’s gain. God Speed, Paulie-K!