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Paul Raymond McCandless
Paul Raymond McCandless, 91, formerly of New Castle and most recently of
Berkeley Springs, W.Va., passed away surrounded by his family on Sunday, October
14, 2018, at the War Memorial Hospital in Berkeley Springs, W.Va.
Paul was born on November 3, 1926, in Transfer, Pa., to Porter and Nellie
Wareham McCandless.
The family settled in Slippery Rock, where Paul helped raise his younger brother
and three sisters.
He was a 1945 graduate of Slippery Rock High School. Following graduation, he
enlisted in the Army and served from January 1945 to June 1947.
Paul then went back to school and earned a Bachelor of Science in Education from
Slippery Rock State College in 1951 and a Master of Science in Education from
Westminster College in 1964.
His proudest achievement was the work he did as a teacher. Spending the majority
of his career at New Castle High School, he taught a wide range of classes
related to mathematics and science until his retirement in 1991.
He was part of the faculty of Worthington-West Franklin High School for the
1950-1951 and 1951-1952 school years.
Paul was well known and highly respected for his passion for teaching and his
devotion to his students. He often spent extra time and effort on tutoring to
make sure every student who entered his classroom left with a solid grasp of the
material and a passing grade.
On October 13, 1961, Paul married Elizabeth Zehner of Ellwood City.
Paul worked hard to provide for his family, taking odd jobs whenever he was not
teaching and lending a helping hand to a neighbor. Paul passed down his love of
mathematics to his children and grandchildren, from taking calculus classes with
his daughter at Youngstown State University, to coming up with extra math
equations for everyone to solve.
Paul's family, friends and colleagues will remember him for his love of ice
cream, crime television shows, polka and square dancing, and mostly for his
laughter and big smile. Through the years, one of Paul's favorite pastimes was
sitting outside in his chair observing, whether it was watching his wife tend
her garden while enjoying the shade from the big maple tree at their house on
Okinawa Drive, or where he spent his final months watching deer prance through
the woods with his son's family from the back deck in West Virginia.
Paul was preceded in death by his parents; sister, Eleanor McCandless Davidson;
brother, James "Jim" McCandless; and wife of 57 years, Elizabeth Jane Zehner
McCandless.
He is survived by daughter, Christina McCandless (Bill) Kass of Fredonia, Ky.;
daughter, Barbara McCandless (Michael) McCarthy of Marietta, Ga.; son, John
Raymond (Jennifer) McCandless of Berkeley Springs, W.Va.; son, Paul Robert "Bob"
(Jackie) McCandless of New Castle; sister, Janet McCandless Muller of Honolulu,
Hawaii; sister, Maxine McCandless (Dale) Polley of Fort Collins, Colo.; many
nieces and nephews; 12 grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.
Family and friends will gather at the Smith Funeral Home, 421 New Castle St.,
Slippery Rock, Pa., on Friday, Oct. 19, 2018, from 5 to 8 p.m.
Interment will be in Slippery Rock Cemetery, Slippery Rock, Pa.
Arrangements by Smith Funeral Home, Slippery Rock, PA. |
