Obituary of Paul L Mecham

PAUL LEROY MECHAM 1927--2015 Paul LeRoy Mecham passed away at this home in American Fork on the 8th of May, 2015. He was born August 10, 1927 at his grandfather Warnick’s farmhouse at Manila, Utah County, Utah located just North of Pleasant Grove. He is the first child of LeRoy Keetch Mecham and Ethel Myrle Warnick. Paul enjoyed working on his grandfathers’ farm every summer until he went into the service. He especially enjoyed being there with his Uncle, Steven Warnick, who is 3 years older than Paul and they grew up more like brothers than Uncle and nephew. At the time of his birth, Paul’s father was working for the interurban train line that went from Payson to Salt Lake City. His work moved them to Springville and then to American Fork. After losing his job due to the depression, his father found work in Hiawatha, a coal-mining town in Carbon County, Utah, where the family lived for 11 years. Paul went through ninth grade in the Hiawatha school and tenth grade through his junior year at Carbon High School in Price, which required a daily 36-mile bus trip. Paul and his family moved back to American Fork in 1944 After serving in the Navy, Paul met and married his beloved wife, Norma Marine Larson in the Salt Lake Temple on August 11, 1947, with President Joseph Fielding Smith officiating. They were married 65 years, terminating upon Norma’s death in 2012. Norma was “The wind beneath his wings” and on her passing he said “a great light had gone out of the world and out of my life”. Paul was always active in the L.D.S. church serving in numerous leadership positions, including in a bishopric and 12 years on the High Council in the American Fork stake. One of his favorite activities was working in the American Fork Family History Center and working on his own family’s history. He also spent many years in scouting getting his Eagle Scout award and the Silver Beaver award. Paul worked at Geneva Steel for 40 years and then worked for North American Refractories for 11 years. Paul and Norma were blessed with three boys, Robert Paul (Karen), Michael Steven (Caroline), and Craig Lee (Dinah). He has ten grandchildren and seventeen great grandchildren. He is also survived by one brother, Richard (Linda), and one sister, Jeanette Johnson (Blaine). His parents and his wife Norma preceded him in death. Family and friends may call Tuesday evening, May 12th, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Anderson & Sons Mortuary, 49 East 100 North, American Fork, Utah. Graveside services will take place Wednesday, May 13, 2015 at 11 a.m. in the American Fork Cemetery. There will be no funeral service as per Paul’s wishes.