Paul Calvin Titlow
April 1, 1918 - April 30, 2005
Paul Titlow led a simple life. As a salt of the earth kind of person, he was a hard worker, even from his earliest moments. He was a kind, fair, likable and a well respected man that people were proud to know.
In 1918, President Hoover called for "wheatless" and "meatless" days for the war effort. Congress authorized time zones and approved daylight savings and Russia was declared as a republic of soviets. While the world was busy with its news, Calvin and Gertrude (Esterline) Titlow were busy with news of their own.
They were welcoming their son, Paul, into the world on April 1, 1918, in Morgantown, West Virginia. Paul, was the youngest of three. His parents, Calvin and Gertrude, also raised Paul’s older sister of five years, Bertha and his older brother of two years, John. Paul’s father, Calvin, was a Secretary of the Federal Land Bank in Baltimore, while his mother, Gertrude, stayed home to raise the kids. Paul’s family moved from Morgantown to Towson, Maryland until he was 10 and then moved to the family farm in Fairborn, Ohio.
During Paul’s school years he was required to do his part on the family farm. He was always a hard worker and farm work was certainly hard. He did his part for the family as his sweat and energy was spent outdoors on the farm. He tended to his families cattle and enjoyed it so much that he got involved in 4-H showing cattle. He also participated in Boy Scouts as a young boy.
Paul attended Bath High School. He was active in school, participating in school plays and playing coronet in the band. Paul did well in high school and successfully graduated in 1936.
After high school, Paul enrolled at Ohio State University. He loved playing his coronet in the college band and it was his band that started the traditional script they do now before each game, where they start in a square and then spell out Ohio.
When Paul was only in the six grade, he met a beautiful young girl named Eleanor. Eleanor was his first and only love. They remained sweethearts all throughout school and even attended Ohio State University together. Eleanor majored in journalism and Paul majored in Business Administration.
The two love birds couldn’t wait to get married and they tied the knot at the court house on February 13, 1940 in Columbus, Ohio. Paul did not stay in college and instead got a job at Sears, in the sales department in Detroit, Michigan. Paul, along with many other young American men, enlisted in the Army Air Corp. On April 28, 1944, he officially joined the service and was assigned the positions of radio operator and mechanic. Upon his completion in the service, serving in Guam and in the Pacific, he was discharge with a bronze star.
Paul returned from the service on March 20, 1946, and he was able to returen to his position with Sears. Paul and Eleanor’s only daughter, Karen, had already been born and in 1947 they welcomed their son, John, into the world, followed by their son, Paul, in 1951. Paul worked long, hard hours at Sears, but when he was home, he was home! He spent quality time with his children and instilled good core values in them as they grew up. He took time to participate within the community and held the roll of president of the Utica Rotary Club in the 1950's. Paul was also a charter member of the Utica Presbyterian Church.
Paul and Eleanor lived in the same house on Shelby Road in Utica for 50 years. Paul worked for Sears for 40 years before retiring as a store manager in 1980. He enjoyed learning about his roots after retirement and even took a genealogy class.
After retirement, Paul and Eleanor knew exactly how they wanted to spend their years. They both had a love for flying and wanted to spend their retirement days enjoying flight. In the 1960's, Eleanor learned how to fly first, since she was a real go getter. Paul was next to get his license to fly and they became members of the AOPA. Paul and Eleanor then bought a Cessna 172, which was a little four seater plane. They enjoyed taking trips all over the country, even before retirement. Paul kept a picture of their plane on his desk at work to remind him of his favorite pass time. After retirement, they joined the Nomads, a travel organization in Detroit that owned their own 727. That gave them the opportunity to travel all over the world. Paul and Eleanor loved to eat out together and they would leave in the afternoon to fly somewhere for dinner or a nice dessert. They even went on mystery trips and enjoyed traveling with their flight friends. Paul traveled to all seven continents and covering over 400,000 miles.
In 1997, Eleanor had to have a heart valve replacement. Not long after surgery she suffered from a stroke and died a few months later. It was a dark and lonely time for Paul. Paul and Eleanor were planning a trip to Antarctica together before her death. Paul promised his wife that he would go ahead with the plans and it ended up being his most memorable trip.
A year later, Paul was diagnosed with dementia. He moved to Kalamazoo so his daughter, Karen, could help care for him. Paul lived in an assisted living apartment at Friendship Village until being transferred to Rose Arbor Hospice.
Paul’s hard work provided him with a full and happy life. His family will always remember his kind presence, positive personality and dedication to those he loved.
Paul Titlow, age 87 of Kalamazoo, died April 30, 2005 at Rose Arbor Hospice. He was preceded in death by his wife of 57 years Eleanor Titlow and by his brother John Titlow. Members of Paul’s family include his three children: Karen (Norman) Knight of Kalamazoo; John (Rita) Titlow of Naperville, IL; Paul (Laurie) Titlow of Brighton; seven grandchildren: Alex (Nicole) Bettinardi of Oregon; Eva and James Titlow of Naperville, IL; Andrea (Tom) McCoy of Centreville, VA; Jason Titlow of NC; Heather and Stephanie Titlow of Brighton and five step-grandchildren: Mike, Dan, Kathy and Betsy Knight and Marcia Miars.
To learn more about Paul’s life, friends may visit with his family on Thursday from 6:00-8:00 p.m. at the Betzler Life Story Funeral Home, Stadium Drive, West of US-131, 375-2900. A Celebration of Life service will be held Thursday 4:00 p.m. at the KIVA, Friendship Village. Interment with full military honor will take place Friday 1:00 p.m. at Utica Cemetery. Please visit Paul’s personal memory page at www.lifestorynet.com where you can share a memory, order flowers online or make a memorial contributions . Contributions may be made to Rose Arbor Hospice or to the Presbyterian Church of Utica.
Paul was a member of the marching band from 1936 through 1940. He played trumpet. His brother, John R, Titlow, was a marching band member from 1934 through 1938. Both of the brothers marched in the first Script Ohio.
