Paul D. Willis

Paul D. Willis guided his 2014 Yaris through the pearly gates on January 25, 2016 (leaving only minor scrapes on the passenger side) following a brief illness. The second son of Harry and Myrtle Willis, Paul was a proud 1945 graduate of Capitol Hill High School, where his father was employed as the custodian. Upon graduation, Paul set about pulling himself up by his bootstraps, enlisting in the Army Air Corps and serving in our nation's capital, Japan and Korea. He was honorably discharged prior to the start of the Korean War. He attended the University of Oklahoma on the GI bill, residing on the south side of Oklahoma City and hitchhiking to Norman and back every day, earning a bachelor's and master's degree in petroleum geology. Upon graduation, he embarked on a career with Conoco and thus began his tour of company offices in exotic locations ranging from Casper Wyoming down to Corpus Christie Texas, and all points in-between. He orchestrated his triumphant return home to Oklahoma City, where he completed a twenty-five-year career with Conoco. He went independent in 1975 and achieved some measure of success in the north central Kansas oil fields. Active in his profession up through his late 70's, he finally closed his office down to care for his beloved Dorothy. He was at once a Renaissance man, perfectionist, avid runner, and martinet. Through self-discipline, the sheer force of his will, and relentless pursuit of perfection, Paul became a talented painter, skilled chef and baker, and fluent French conversationalist. These talents were largely developed through assiduous study of the hundreds of books that grace his home. He extolled the virtues of running long before it was fashionable and amassed a collection of medals for his efforts in the Redbud Run and Oklahoma Memorial Marathon. He became so fascinated with French bread that he constructed a brick oven in the back yard as to perfect his craft. The combination of his desire for self-improvement, wry sense of humor, and volcanic temper kept his friends and family off balance for decades. Paul was preceded in death by his brother Harold, sister Patricia and wife Dorothy and is survived by his sister Martha, daughter Sarah and son Geoff, and his grandsons Mike, Bill, Nathan and Jake. The family asks that a contribution be made to the Arts at Messiah Program in lieu of flowers. A memorial service will be held at 10am on Saturday, January 30, 2016 at Messiah Lutheran Church. Les carottes sont cuites.