Paul Robitaille

The next time one of Paul Robitaille's friends or family hears the song "Old Time Rock and Roll" by Bob Seger, they will undoubtedly think of Paul and the enthusiasm he had for living life to its fullest. Always the first one to hit the dance floor at a celebration, he loved to dance and was never afraid to get the party started. He was so much fun to be around and yet he had such a gentle, kind, and compassionate heart. While Paul may have had many things in his life that brought him happiness, none were more important to him than his family.

The year 1949 marked the end of an era and the war that had dominated life in previous years was slowly becoming a distant memory. With a new found energy, Americans went to work building homes and highways, while the nation's economy flourished. Business and industry, however, was not the only thing seeing rapid expansion. The baby boom had officially begun and couples from coast to coast were hoping to be the next to add to the country's growing population. In Detroit, Michigan, Leo and Lillian (Cullen) Robitaille were anxiously waiting to add to their own family with the birth of their third child. At last, on September 20, 1949, they proudly welcomed a son they named Paul.

The first several years of Paul's life were spent in the city of Detroit, looking up to his two older brothers. Having spent all of his young life there, it must have been quite a surprise when 11 year old Paul learned that he would be moving clear across the state of Michigan to the town of Holland. His father's job at the pharmaceutical company, Parke-Davis had been transferred there and Paul was left with little choice in matter. However, it didn't take long before Paul found he fit right in at his new school. As he got a little older, he loved to tinker with cars and therefore was considered to be one of the gear heads at Holland High School.

In 1967, Paul graduated from Holland High and while he may not have enrolled in college, he certainly made a very important decision about his future. He decided to enlist in the United States Army during a very turbulent time. Just a few years earlier, U.S. troops had been sent into Vietnam, marking the beginning of the Vietnam War. When Paul received his discharge in 1971, he valued his time in the Army so much that he decided to remain in the reserves for three more years.

The year 1971 was special to Paul in more ways than one. Years earlier, Paul had come upon a car accident and one of the drivers was a young woman named Jo Ann Putnam. Paul offered to drive Jo Ann's car home for her and she gladly accepted. Four years later, Paul was introduced to Sandra Putnam who happened to be Jo Ann's sister. He confided in Sandy that he had had a crush on her sister that day he drove her home, but Jo Ann wasn't the sister he was interested in anymore. On December 4, 1971, Paul and Sandy were wed at St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church.

The newlyweds settled in Holland and wasted little time starting a family of their own. In 1972 they welcomed their first son, Patrick, followed by Robert in 1976. To support his young family, he followed in his father's footsteps, working at Parke-Davis. At home Paul was a loving husband and father, who cherished the quality time he had with his wife and children. He was never one to go out for dinner and much preferred sitting down with his family to share a home-cooked meal and great conversation.

Paul enjoyed living life and was never short on hobbies and interests to keep him busy. He was a member of the Parke-Davis bowling team and loved to play golf. He also liked hockey, but only as a spectator and proud fan of his beloved Detroit Red Wings. At home, Paul enjoyed watching his favorite game shows, Lingo, Super Password, and The Price is Right, and listening to classic rock. He would occasionally listen to country, but the music of the Moody Blues, Beatles, Rolling Stones and Elvis was his first choice. And he never lost his love of cars, owning an extensive model car collection that he was quite proud of, particularly his model that was similar to his cherished 1969 AMX car.

When he retired from Parke-Davis in 2006, after 31 years of service, Paul had hoped to return to Europe and revisit the places he had gone to years earlier in the Army, but he never made it back there, after being diagnosed with cancer in January of 2007. While Paul may not have been able to experience Europe again, there was one experience in his life that would never be surpassed; being a grandfather. The birth of his granddaughter Isabella was the greatest day of his life and both he and Sandy just loved to spoil her. Paul was a master at building things and loved to make beautiful doll houses for Isabella. He and Sandy also took her on a trip to Disney World and delighted in watching her take in the Magic Kingdom. One thing is for certain, no matter how many years Paul spent on this earth, there would never be enough time with his family. In his lifetime he was a loving and gentle husband, father, and grandfather who, in passing, will be dearly missed and fondly remembered.

Paul Robitaille age 57 of Holland died Thursday, May 17, 2007 at Holland Hospital. Paul was preceded in death by his parents-Leo and Lillian Robitaille, brother-Stephen Robitaille, and his father-in-law-Ulis Putnam. Surviving is his wife Sandra of 35 years; sons-Patrick Robitaille and Robert Robitaille both of Holland; 1 granddaughter-Isabella; brother-Michael and Lori Robitaille of Rose City; mother-in-law-Pauline Putnam of Holland; in-laws-Jo Ann and Jim Dodge, John and Cindy Putnam, Kathy and Greg Jones, and Tom and Pam Putnam all of Holland; nephews, nieces, and cousins.

Services are at 1 p.m. on Monday at the Dykstra Life Story Funeral Homes-Northwood Chapel, 295 Douglas Ave. Burial will be in Restlawn Memorial Gardens. Visiting will be from 7 to 9 p.m. Sunday at the chapel. Please visit Paul's personal memory page at www.lifestorynet.com where you can sign the online guestbook and archive a favorite memory or photo. Memorials may be made to the American Cancer Society.