Joseph Richard Willey (1967)
Glen Paul Willey (Aug 25, 1951-April 20, 2023)
Paul was the son of Joseph Glen and Arlene Holbrook Willey. He was also the brother of Peggy, Jim, Richard, Brent, David, Darleen, and Jolene. Paul was born at Hill Air Force Base, Utah and because his father was a career Army officer he grew up in many different places. His father retired from the Army in May 1964. Paul and the rest of the family returned to Utah eventually living in Syracuse.
A 1969 graduate of Clearfield High School, Paul also attended North Davis Junior High School. He was a graduate of Weber State University and attended the University of Utah and University of Georgia. In between his college days, Paul served a 2-year LDS mission to Germany. After Paul retired, he attended and graduated from the prestigious Le Cordon Blu Culinary School.
During his life Paul had a variety of jobs. During his junior high and high school years he worked the farm fields of Syracuse and West Point, picking beans, thinning beets, hauling hay, harvesting potatoes, and working as a bag boy at the Hill Air Force Base commissary. At one point he and his friends Mel Hawkins and Ralph Ferrara were miners in one of Utah’s coal mines. After his university days Paul was a pharmaceutical salesman (a job he grew to dislike). Paul eventually gravitated to the financial industry where he became a successful stockbroker in both Utah and Oregon. After retiring, Paul opened a stationary food truck in downtown Portland featuring smoked BBQ.
Though married three times, Paul had no children, but many nieces and nephews. Until his death, he remained close to two of his former wives; Suzanne Verhaal and Stephanie Fox.
Paul was fortunate enough to have traveled worldwide and went to many places we all have on our bucket lists.
In 2016, Paul moved to Amelia Island, Florida to be closer to his older brother Richard (Joe). In his words they lived close enough to one another to visit and check in with each other, yet far enough away to enjoy their own space.
Paul was a kind and generous man. He was known to open his house and guest house to friends, children of friends, and semi-strangers. Many of whom were in need. Two of Paul’s proudest accomplishments were 1) the creation of the Marian Storey & LaVon Lake scholarships for graduates of Clearfield High School and 2) his unfaltering support of the Nepal Cleft and Burn Center.
Paul suffered from Congestive Heart Failure and a rare form of lymphoma. In the early morning hours of April 20, 2023, Paul peacefully crossed through the veil at the Warner Center For Caring in Fernandina Beach, FL. He is survived by his older sister Peggy of Lehi, UT, older brother Joe (AKA: Richard & J.R.) of Fernandina Beach, FL, his younger brother David of Athens, GA, and younger sister Jolene of Huntsville, UT, and his two feline boys Tigger and Daunte.
It was Paul’s wish that he be cremated and that there be no service. We, his surviving siblings think he would appreciate those so inclined, to make donations in his name either in support of the CHS Scholarships-Willey (Marian Storey & LaVon Lake) Scholarship admistered thru https://dsdgive.net/event/1040 (contact Person: Kristen Buchi 801-402-4483) or in support of the Nepal Cleft & Burn Center https://nepalcleftandburncenter.org/donate-page.
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