Paul Kenneth Albert 12/25/1916-6/6/2020
Paul was born and raised in Landes, Illinois to Bertha and Ivil Albert
Paul’s working years were spent in the city but he was raised a farm boy and held a special place in his heart for farm people and their way of life. His early years included farming with horses, doing farm chores, attending a one room school house, going to church every Sunday, taking a lead role in school plays, playing on the school basketball team (he proudly remembered scoring 13 points one game), and helping run a general store his family owned in their community. His father was also the post master and a seed corn distributor so Paul gained experience helping manage a small business and balancing the books. These were the Depression years, and after high school he felt the opportunities might be better in the city. A relative in Evansville gave him a lead on a job at Sunbeam so in 1939 he left the farm and started work in at their refrigerator division.
During those years, local newspapers had community news columns reporting on all the local family happenings. These columns reported Paul’s many weekend trips back home to Landes and most importantly to visit Miss Leta Bailey of Oblong. Paul and Leta were married in 1940.
After marriage and moving to Evansville; World War II and rationing came. Among many items, copper was especially in short supply. That ended refrigerator work at Sunbeam, so Paul completed night classes on drafting and blueprint reading and headed to Indianapolis and Allison. He often commented that those classes helped him land a job there in 1942 as an inspector working in the model shop at Plant 3. After serving in the army infantry during WW II he returned to Allison where he continued working in the model shop until retiring in 1984.
In Indianapolis they raised their family including 3 sons. Family life at the Albert household after the war was a picture of the all American family, in other words just wonderful. Morning breakfast on the table, Paul off to work early, Leta running the household with three boys to look after and to get going, homework, chores, church and Sunday school, interspersed with back yard mayhem, doctor’s visits, shots, broken bones, stiches, firecrackers, and a memorable two week family vacation trip every year. Paul was a dedicated family photographer. His thousands of slides and photographs are an irreplaceable family record we all treasure. Perhaps a most unique aspect of our family life were many weekend trips to visit Paul’s and Leta’s home places on farms in Illinois. It is no exaggeration to say that through these trips, they gave city raised boys experiences of a lifetime. Not only could the boys see how their parents were raised, but repeated exposure to self-sufficient and hardworking relatives, with noisy machinery, big meals, feather beds, and for a while no electricity, and no plumbing somehow plants in young minds an unexpected reservoir of strength they have no idea is even happening. The boys will be forever grateful. When grandkids came a new chapter opened in Paul’s and Leta’s lives and their large backyard garden became in effect their farm for all the little ones. Memories and love abounded from their household and a lasting legacy remains.
Life changed for Paul when his beloved Leta was diagnosed with dementia in 1994. Progress was gradual for quite a while and in 2004 they sold their home of sixty two years moved into Westside Retirement Village. She passed away in 2010. For sixteen years Paul remained her sole caregiver, knowing no one could provide a level of care he wanted the love of his life to have. His commitment to her gained him well deserved respect from many people. He missed her desperately and often said talking with her about their life together was what he missed the most.
Paul’s passing leaves a large family grieving. He was of the greatest generation. Perhaps showing fewer emotions than later generations but he is without question deserving of the label “a salt of the earth”. He will be forever remembered and missed by all who knew him.
Paul is survived by his sons Ken (Eileen), Mike (Carol), and Tom, plus 6 grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren, and his sister-in-law Mildred Armstrong.
Paul was born and raised in Landes, Illinois to Bertha and Ivil Albert
Paul’s working years were spent in the city but he was raised a farm boy and held a special place in his heart for farm people and their way of life. His early years included farming with horses, doing farm chores, attending a one room school house, going to church every Sunday, taking a lead role in school plays, playing on the school basketball team (he proudly remembered scoring 13 points one game), and helping run a general store his family owned in their community. His father was also the post master and a seed corn distributor so Paul gained experience helping manage a small business and balancing the books. These were the Depression years, and after high school he felt the opportunities might be better in the city. A relative in Evansville gave him a lead on a job at Sunbeam so in 1939 he left the farm and started work in at their refrigerator division.
During those years, local newspapers had community news columns reporting on all the local family happenings. These columns reported Paul’s many weekend trips back home to Landes and most importantly to visit Miss Leta Bailey of Oblong. Paul and Leta were married in 1940.
After marriage and moving to Evansville; World War II and rationing came. Among many items, copper was especially in short supply. That ended refrigerator work at Sunbeam, so Paul completed night classes on drafting and blueprint reading and headed to Indianapolis and Allison. He often commented that those classes helped him land a job there in 1942 as an inspector working in the model shop at Plant 3. After serving in the army infantry during WW II he returned to Allison where he continued working in the model shop until retiring in 1984.
In Indianapolis they raised their family including 3 sons. Family life at the Albert household after the war was a picture of the all American family, in other words just wonderful. Morning breakfast on the table, Paul off to work early, Leta running the household with three boys to look after and to get going, homework, chores, church and Sunday school, interspersed with back yard mayhem, doctor’s visits, shots, broken bones, stiches, firecrackers, and a memorable two week family vacation trip every year. Paul was a dedicated family photographer. His thousands of slides and photographs are an irreplaceable family record we all treasure. Perhaps a most unique aspect of our family life were many weekend trips to visit Paul’s and Leta’s home places on farms in Illinois. It is no exaggeration to say that through these trips, they gave city raised boys experiences of a lifetime. Not only could the boys see how their parents were raised, but repeated exposure to self-sufficient and hardworking relatives, with noisy machinery, big meals, feather beds, and for a while no electricity, and no plumbing somehow plants in young minds an unexpected reservoir of strength they have no idea is even happening. The boys will be forever grateful. When grandkids came a new chapter opened in Paul’s and Leta’s lives and their large backyard garden became in effect their farm for all the little ones. Memories and love abounded from their household and a lasting legacy remains.
Life changed for Paul when his beloved Leta was diagnosed with dementia in 1994. Progress was gradual for quite a while and in 2004 they sold their home of sixty two years moved into Westside Retirement Village. She passed away in 2010. For sixteen years Paul remained her sole caregiver, knowing no one could provide a level of care he wanted the love of his life to have. His commitment to her gained him well deserved respect from many people. He missed her desperately and often said talking with her about their life together was what he missed the most.
Paul’s passing leaves a large family grieving. He was of the greatest generation. Perhaps showing fewer emotions than later generations but he is without question deserving of the label “a salt of the earth”. He will be forever remembered and missed by all who knew him.
Paul is survived by his sons Ken (Eileen), Mike (Carol), and Tom, plus 6 grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren, and his sister-in-law Mildred Armstrong.
Paul Kenneth Albert 12/25/1916-6/6/2020
Paul was born and raised in Landes, Illinois to Bertha and Ivil Albert
Paul’s working years were spent in the city but he was raised a farm boy and held a special place in his heart for farm people and their way of life. His early years included farming with horses, doing farm chores, attending a one room school house, going to church every Sunday, taking a lead role in school plays, playing on the school basketball team (he proudly remembered scoring 13 points one game), and helping run a general store his family owned in their community. His father was also the post master and a seed corn distributor so Paul gained experience helping manage a small business and balancing the books. These were the Depression years, and after high school he felt the opportunities might be better in the city. A relative in Evansville gave him a lead on a job at Sunbeam so in 1939 he left the farm and started work in at their refrigerator division.
During those years, local newspapers had community news columns reporting on all the local family happenings. These columns reported Paul’s many weekend trips back home to Landes and most importantly to visit Miss Leta Bailey of Oblong. Paul and Leta were married in 1940.
After marriage and moving to Evansville; World War II and rationing came. Among many items, copper was especially in short supply. That ended refrigerator work at Sunbeam, so Paul completed night classes on drafting and blueprint reading and headed to Indianapolis and Allison. He often commented that those classes helped him land a job there in 1942 as an inspector working in the model shop at Plant 3. After serving in the army infantry during WW II he returned to Allison where he continued working in the model shop until retiring in 1984.
In Indianapolis they raised their family including 3 sons. Family life at the Albert household after the war was a picture of the all American family, in other words just wonderful. Morning breakfast on the table, Paul off to work early, Leta running the household with three boys to look after and to get going, homework, chores, church and Sunday school, interspersed with back yard mayhem, doctor’s visits, shots, broken bones, stiches, firecrackers, and a memorable two week family vacation trip every year. Paul was a dedicated family photographer. His thousands of slides and photographs are an irreplaceable family record we all treasure. Perhaps a most unique aspect of our family life were many weekend trips to visit Paul’s and Leta’s home places on farms in Illinois. It is no exaggeration to say that through these trips, they gave city raised boys experiences of a lifetime. Not only could the boys see how their parents were raised, but repeated exposure to self-sufficient and hardworking relatives, with noisy machinery, big meals, feather beds, and for a while no electricity, and no plumbing somehow plants in young minds an unexpected reservoir of strength they have no idea is even happening. The boys will be forever grateful. When grandkids came a new chapter opened in Paul’s and Leta’s lives and their large backyard garden became in effect their farm for all the little ones. Memories and love abounded from their household and a lasting legacy remains.
Life changed for Paul when his beloved Leta was diagnosed with dementia in 1994. Progress was gradual for quite a while and in 2004 they sold their home of sixty two years moved into Westside Retirement Village. She passed away in 2010. For sixteen years Paul remained her sole caregiver, knowing no one could provide a level of care he wanted the love of his life to have. His commitment to her gained him well deserved respect from many people. He missed her desperately and often said talking with her about their life together was what he missed the most.
Paul’s passing leaves a large family grieving. He was of the greatest generation. Perhaps showing fewer emotions than later generations but he is without question deserving of the label “a salt of the earth”. He will be forever remembered and missed by all who knew him.
Paul is survived by his sons Ken (Eileen), Mike (Carol), and Tom, plus 6 grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren, and his sister-in-law Mildred Armstrong.
Paul was born and raised in Landes, Illinois to Bertha and Ivil Albert
Paul’s working years were spent in the city but he was raised a farm boy and held a special place in his heart for farm people and their way of life. His early years included farming with horses, doing farm chores, attending a one room school house, going to church every Sunday, taking a lead role in school plays, playing on the school basketball team (he proudly remembered scoring 13 points one game), and helping run a general store his family owned in their community. His father was also the post master and a seed corn distributor so Paul gained experience helping manage a small business and balancing the books. These were the Depression years, and after high school he felt the opportunities might be better in the city. A relative in Evansville gave him a lead on a job at Sunbeam so in 1939 he left the farm and started work in at their refrigerator division.
During those years, local newspapers had community news columns reporting on all the local family happenings. These columns reported Paul’s many weekend trips back home to Landes and most importantly to visit Miss Leta Bailey of Oblong. Paul and Leta were married in 1940.
After marriage and moving to Evansville; World War II and rationing came. Among many items, copper was especially in short supply. That ended refrigerator work at Sunbeam, so Paul completed night classes on drafting and blueprint reading and headed to Indianapolis and Allison. He often commented that those classes helped him land a job there in 1942 as an inspector working in the model shop at Plant 3. After serving in the army infantry during WW II he returned to Allison where he continued working in the model shop until retiring in 1984.
In Indianapolis they raised their family including 3 sons. Family life at the Albert household after the war was a picture of the all American family, in other words just wonderful. Morning breakfast on the table, Paul off to work early, Leta running the household with three boys to look after and to get going, homework, chores, church and Sunday school, interspersed with back yard mayhem, doctor’s visits, shots, broken bones, stiches, firecrackers, and a memorable two week family vacation trip every year. Paul was a dedicated family photographer. His thousands of slides and photographs are an irreplaceable family record we all treasure. Perhaps a most unique aspect of our family life were many weekend trips to visit Paul’s and Leta’s home places on farms in Illinois. It is no exaggeration to say that through these trips, they gave city raised boys experiences of a lifetime. Not only could the boys see how their parents were raised, but repeated exposure to self-sufficient and hardworking relatives, with noisy machinery, big meals, feather beds, and for a while no electricity, and no plumbing somehow plants in young minds an unexpected reservoir of strength they have no idea is even happening. The boys will be forever grateful. When grandkids came a new chapter opened in Paul’s and Leta’s lives and their large backyard garden became in effect their farm for all the little ones. Memories and love abounded from their household and a lasting legacy remains.
Life changed for Paul when his beloved Leta was diagnosed with dementia in 1994. Progress was gradual for quite a while and in 2004 they sold their home of sixty two years moved into Westside Retirement Village. She passed away in 2010. For sixteen years Paul remained her sole caregiver, knowing no one could provide a level of care he wanted the love of his life to have. His commitment to her gained him well deserved respect from many people. He missed her desperately and often said talking with her about their life together was what he missed the most.
Paul’s passing leaves a large family grieving. He was of the greatest generation. Perhaps showing fewer emotions than later generations but he is without question deserving of the label “a salt of the earth”. He will be forever remembered and missed by all who knew him.
Paul is survived by his sons Ken (Eileen), Mike (Carol), and Tom, plus 6 grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren, and his sister-in-law Mildred Armstrong.
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