Paul Mejia

MEJIA, (K9RRX), Paul Allen 6/22/1952 - 3/9/2019

Paul, 66, passed away suddenly at home and went to the loving arms of Jesus. He is survived by his wife Cathy (Charlesworth), daughter Michelle, and his cat Marco, who all loved him so much and will miss him. He is also survived by half-sisters Wanda (Wes) Nance and Mary (Miller) Brashear, brother-in-law Curtis (Ada) Charlesworth, nieces Morgan (Brad) Gauthier and Logan Charlesworth, and many cousins and friends. He was preceded in death by this parents Dennis and Maureen (Noreuil) Mejia. Paul was born in Chicago, IL and resided most of his life in Naperville, IL and was a graduate of Naperville High School. Paul was a man of service. He served his country in the Army's 3rd Calvary Regiment and was a supporter of veterans often paying for an active duty member's meal when he saw them in a restaurant. He recently visited Virginia to see the general he drove for in the army. Paul served the City of Naperville for over 42 years, first in civil defense and then as Captain of the Emergency Management volunteer field squad which supported the fire department. When Paul 'retired', the city council awarded him with a proclamation naming March 19, 2013 as Paul Mejia day in appreciation for his dedicated service to the citizens of Naperville. Paul spent many of his working years at ScaleTronix serving to supply medical scales to doctors and hospitals. In later years, Paul obtained his ham radio license (K9RRX), and enjoyed his many outings with the guys at the S.M.A.R.T. meeting breakfast, KARC meetings, and especially lunch at Big T's with his ham buddies. Most of all Paul loved his family and faithfully cared for them. He took care of his dad who was blind and spent many weekends driving 5 hours to make sure his dad's pantry was stocked and making repairs around the house. He was delighted by his daughter Michelle, "Mimi", and they shared the same wacky sense of humor and their passionate love of the Chicago Cubs, most recently taking a trip on the Lake Michigan Express from Muskegon to Milwaukee to see the Cubs play. Paul met his wife Cathy in 1997 and they were married in September 2000 the best day for both of them and were inseparable. He knew marrying Cathy was a package deal helping to care for her aging parents and her aunt and drove her almost every week-end for many years from Chicago to Kalamazoo so she could spend time with them. When Paul and Cathy retired, he was excited to relocate to Kalamazoo making many friends and he enjoyed driving trips to the surrounding communities, dining out with friends (never met a burger or pizza he didn't like), and serving as Cathy's chauffeur wherever she wanted to go. He was a member of Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church and was always willing to help Cathy with church activities. He was an excellent problem-solver and handyman (Menards and Harbor Freight revenues will take a hit). He loved traveling, collecting hats from places he visited, being an advocate for Texas Corners businesses, seeing any type of train or electric rail, his player piano, photography, and making Cathy laugh on a daily basis. Those who knew him will miss his sense of humor, his massive memory for details, his interest in everything past and present, and his kind, caring spirit. Both the visitation and service will be held at Langeland Funeral Home, 3926 S. 9th St., Kalamazoo, MI. The visitation will be Wednesday, March 13 from 4:00-7:00 p.m. and the service will be on Thursday, March 14 at 11:00 a.m., with Pastor Ken Johnson of Trinity Lutheran officiating. A light meal will follow the service. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Trinity Lutheran Church, 504 S Westnedge Ave., Kalamazoo, MI 49007, or to Adrian College, Adrian MI 49221 (earmarked for the First Generation Scholarship Fund founded by Paul and Cathy). To view Paul's personal webpage see www.langelands.com