William “Bill” Thomas Paul, 105, of Karthaus, passed away on May 12, 2026, at the Brookville Hospital, his loved ones at his bedside over a hospital stay of a few days. He was born at home in Karthaus on April 29, 1921, to the late Michael A. and Irma (Holt) Paul.
As a child in Karthaus in the 1920s, he grew up without electricity, without telephone, without indoor plumbing. His family’s home was heated by two coal-fired stoves. In about 1930, a traveling surgeon came to Karthaus to remove children’s tonsils on a prophylactic basis; when a 10-year-old Bill heard what was happening, he lighted out for the woods and stayed hidden under some rocks. He kept his tonsils. Asked about the episode, Bill once commented, “I haven’t had a sore throat in 50 years.”
As a teenager and young man, Bill was a woodsman, ran a trap line, and served as a fire tower lookout for the Pennsylvania Forest Service, taking his father’s place in that role and helping to provide for his family during the Great Depression. He also put meat on the table hunting deer and turkeys as a teenager. This was real subsistence hunting. During this time, the family kept a pet red fox named Suzy.
His work with the Forest Service ended with the U.S. entering World War II. He served in the United States Army Air Forces in the 9th Air Force. On the Western Front, he flew in Martin B-26 Marauders for the 394th Bomb Group (the “Bridge Busters”), who were famous for destroying enemy bridges, thus preventing German reinforcements from reaching the front lines around D-Day. During bombing flights, he was responsible for maintaining radio contact and manning a machine gun. Among other combat engagements, he landed at Omaha Beach in Normandy, France, approximately one week after D-Day. There, he honorably played his role in the liberation of France through to the Allied Victory in the European Theater.
On October 21, 1945, Bill was honorably discharged from the Army with the rank of Sgt. and returned to Karthaus, where he met the love of his life, Helen Theresa McGovern. They married on September 13, 1947, and shared 71 years of marriage until her passing in 2019. Despite being married on the “unlucky” 13th day of a month, they were married happily for more than 71 years. Bill intentionally chose the 13th of the month as their wedding date because he was not superstitious.
Bill was a founding member of the Karthaus Lions Club and served on the club’s committee that first established municipal drinking water in Karthaus.
Bill and Helen raised two children in Karthaus: Dennis William “Billy” and Donna Kay. Bill was an ambitious provider for his family, starting out with a brief stint as a coal miner and as a truck driver for the Hoffman mining operations in Karthaus. For a while, he drove a school bus route in the Pottersdale and New Garden area. In time, he developed a successful business selling and servicing TVs and radios, using the electronics knowledge and skills he gained from his military training. He also established the first cable television service in Karthaus by erecting a tower on Oak Hill, where broadcasts could be picked up, running cables from there into town, and selling cable TV subscriptions. He worked largely as a one-man show. Bill had the benefit of formal education only through the eighth grade; he was an avid reader and always kept his bookshelves full.
His wife, Helen, spent the last years of her life at the Mountain Laurel Nursing Home in Clearfield. Bill was a fiercely loyal man; into his late 90s, he drove from Karthaus to the nursing home seven days a week to visit her and ensure she ate well. Bill could be seen about town in Karthaus driving the few blocks necessary to get his mail from the post office at age 100.
Bill lived at his home in Karthaus, largely independent, until March 19, 2026. On April 29, 2026, the family, including his two great-grandchildren, gathered at his assisted living facility for a party complete with party hats, balloons, noisemakers, and lots of cake to celebrate Bill’s 105th birthday. The family is grateful and feels blessed to have had so much time with him.
Bill is survived by his daughter, Donna Kay Furgiuele, and her husband, Norman, of Shippenville; grandson, Aaron Furgiuele, and his wife, Sampurna Sattar, of Port Matilda; granddaughter, Maria Vaughn, her husband, Brett, and their children, great-grandson, Maverick, and great-granddaughter, Rozlyn, of Shippenville.
Along with his parents and wife, Bill was preceded in death by his son, Dennis “Billy”; his sister, Dorothy Paul (March 7, 1925–March 18, 1925); and his brothers, Boyd and Kenneth Sr. Bill was the oldest man in Karthaus and the last of his generation.
Family and friends will be received on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, from 6–8 p.m. at Daughenbaugh Funeral Home in Snow Shoe. The funeral service will be held on Wednesday, May 20, 2026, at the Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church in Karthaus, with Pastor Vicki Beilfuss officiating. Burial with military honors will follow at Keewaydin Cemetery.
Memorial contributions may be made to Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church, 3637 Main St., Karthaus, PA 16845.
Arrangements have been entrusted to Daughenbaugh Funeral Home, Inc. in Snow Shoe, PA. An online guest book can be signed, or condolences posted to the family, at www.daughenbaughfuneralhome.com.