Obituary: Paul D. Kimball

As received from the O’Neill-Dennis Funeral Home:

Paul David Kimball passed away on August 9, 2024. He was 93 years old.

Paul was a proud Copper Country native who was born on September 13, 1930, in Laurium, Michigan to his parents, Clyde and Gertrude (O’Neil) Kimball. Paul was one of four children. He had an older brother, Clyde, and two younger siblings, Jim and Marie. Growing up, Paul enjoyed fishing, playing baseball, and going to the library, which likely fostered his lifelong love of learning and books.

Paul attended Calumet High School where he enjoyed being a member of the basketball, football, and track teams. He was also an active member in the Army ROTC and reached the rank of Captain before graduating in 1948. He went on to obtain a Bachelor of Arts degree from Northland College and Master of Arts degree from Northern Michigan University. In addition, he obtained an Education Specialist Certification from the National Curriculum Study Institute of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development by ASCD National Curriculum Study Institute for Teacher Evaluation.

Paul started his career as a teacher and later a high school counselor. He coached high school football at Lake Linden High School and later assisted with football and basketball teams at Hancock High School. He went on to work at Community Action BHK, the Copper Country Intermediate School District, and Marquette-Alger Intermediate School District, and was appointed as the Director of the first Regional Office for the Michigan Department of Education in the Upper Peninsula.

Paul’s entire professional career was dedicated to education and public service, which he tirelessly pursued until (and sometimes after) he retired in 1985. He contributed greatly to raising the standard of education in the Upper Peninsula and to providing educational services for economic development and social services. Throughout his long career, he positively impacted the lives of many in the Upper Peninsula. Although there were numerous projects he innovated or contributed to, a few that made him extremely proud were the restoration and rededication of the historic Calumet Theater, establishing Upper Great Lakes Educational Technologies, Inc. (UGLETI) in his retirement, which brought a fiber optics network to the Upper Peninsula, contributing to the establishment of the U.P. Community Campus for the Michigan State University College of Human Medicine and the Upper Peninsula Health Education Corporation with Dr. Daniel Mazzuchi, serving as the first Head Start Director for Community Action Baraga-Houghton- Keweenaw Counties, and working with internationally renowned composer, conductor, and arts activist Dr.Herbert Zipper to obtain a grant to start the Suzuki Violin Program in the Copper Country.

Paul was also the recipient of numerous awards and recognitions over his long career in education and public service, including Appreciation for Outstanding Educational Leadership from Alger-Marquette Superintendents in 1983, Superintendents’ Roundtable 10/20/1983, Head Start Service Award Baraga – Houghton – Keweenaw Counties 6/8/1985, Recognition Applied Economics Junior Achievement from W. K. Kellogg Foundation Junior Achievement 6/21/1988, State of Michigan House Joint Resolution No. 251 Honoring Mr. Paul D. Kimball 5/16/1989 House and 5/17/1989 Senate, Bronze Leadership Award Junior Achievement 1989, Appreciation for Contributions to Schools of Wisconsin by University of Wisconsin Green Bay 1989, Service Award Michigan Department of Education Adult Extended Learning Services 6/1/1989, Silver Leadership Award Junior Achievement 1990, and Resolution Designating UGLETI in Establishment of a Regional Interactive Telecommunication System by Bay de Noc Community College Board of Trustees 7/10/1991.

Paul was a proud veteran of the United States Airforce (1948 to 1955). He was a long-standing member, and past post commander, of the Alfred Erickson American Legion Post 186 in Hancock.

A legacy of Paul consists of the lifelong bonds that he developed with friends, neighbors, and business associates through the years. He maintained contact with all members of his Calumet High School basketball team. The Clouthier family (Hubbell) and the Schutte family (Ahmeek) were extended family for more than 70 years. Most importantly, Paul, was a loving, dedicated, and supportive husband, father, grandfather, and great grandfather who married the love of his life, Margaret Ann Koupeny, on December 1, 1951, in Chicago, Illinois. He met Margie in 1949 on the Copper Country Limited train where they were both traveling from Calumet to Chicago. Margie, a Chicago native, spent the summer with her mother’s family in Ahmeek. Paul offered her a seat next to him and they talked the entire trip. Paul and Margie celebrated 45 years of wonderful marriage together until Margie succumbed to pancreatic cancer in 1996. The family home they created together served as a happy place in the Upper Peninsula each summer for extended family and the numerous friends they made over a lifetime. Precious memories were made while enjoying conversations over a meal with Margie’s cooking which often included her family-famous spaghetti sauce and lasagna, swimming in Lake Superior, eating pasties, or just sitting around a campfire roasting marshmallows and hot dogs.

Paul was preceded in death by his parents Clyde and Gertrude (O’Neil) Kimball, his loving wife Margaret, his brother Clyde, his sister Marie (Hebert), and his brother James. Paul is survived by his sons William(Paula) and James (Ramon), daughters Susan DeKeyser and Joan Morgan (Michael); grandchildren Cameron and Aryana Naderi, Christopher Kimball, Joseph Kimball, Kari Kimball, Timothy DeKeyser (Ellen), Rebecca Coy (Chris); step-grandchildren Emily Morgan, Andrew Morgan, Elizabeth Mager; and great grandchildren Holland and Roman DeKeyser.

A Service will be held by the Copper Country Veteran’s Association at Lakeview Cemetery (Calumet) from 11:00 AM to 12:00 noon on Saturday September 14th, 2024. Reverend Father Gracious Pulimoottil from Sacred Heart Church in Calumet will officiate. A celebration of Paul’s life will be held afterward at the Siskiwit Reception Hall in Calumet from 2:00 PM – 7:00 PM. There will be a meal from 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM followed by a gathering of family and friends between 3:00 PM – 7:00 PM. In Paul’s spirit, there won’t be an empty glass.

In lieu of flowers, Paul’s family requests that donations be made in the name of Paul Kimball to: Community Action Baraga-Houghton-Keweenaw Counties, Copper Country Veterans Association, and/or the Hancock Michigan Salvation Army. The O’Neill-Dennis Funeral Home of Hancock is assisting the family. Online condolences may be shared at O’Neill-Dennis Funeral Home | Hancock MI funeral home and cremation