Paul E. Gilman

April 25, 1926     ~     May 28, 2021

Paul E. Gilman, 95, formerly of LaGrange and Wolcottville, died May 28, 2021, at Ascension Living Sacred Heart Village in Avilla, IN, following a stroke.

Paul was born on April 25, 1926, in Mishawaka, Indiana, to Ernest and Helen (Milliken) Gilman.

On June 17, 1950, Paul married Evelyn Peterson, who died February 14, 2002. Surviving are their son, Geoffrey (Carla) Gilman, Seneca, SC, and children James Gilman, Annapolis, MD, and Madeleine (Joseph) Davis, Germantown, TN; daughters Cheryl (Danny) Koester, Elkhart, IN, and children Megan (Joshua) Schoenherr, Streetsboro, OH, and Laura (Keith) Yoder, Chicago, IL; and Monica (Mark) Lazar, Indianapolis, IN, and children Emily Lazar, Blowing Rock, NC, Evan Lazar, Tyrone, GA, and Benjamin Lazar, Minot, ND; great-grandchildren Hazel, Nathan, and Hannah Schoenherr, and Jack, Peter, and Lydia Davis; and siblings Arthur (Augusta) Gilman, Mishawaka, IN, Mary Bowerman, Osceola, IN, and Bruce Gilman, Weston, CO. He was preceded in death by his brother Warren Gilman.

On November 2, 2002, Paul married Joan (Ogalsbee) Eschelman. She survives, along with her two children, three grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren. She resides at Ascension Living Sacred Heart Village in Avilla, IN.

In 1944, Paul graduated from Riley High School in South Bend and was drafted into the Navy, where he served in the Pacific during and after the end of WWII. Beginning in 1947, he attended North Central College and then Evangelical Theological Seminary in Naperville, IL. As a young minister in the Evangelical United Brethren Church (later part of the United Methodist Church), he served various churches in northern Indiana and started the first youth camps at Camp Lakewood, in Wolcottville.

In 1958 he left the pastorate to teach social studies, first at Bourbon, then at Lakeland and Prairie Heights high schools. During the summers, he continued his ministry by managing church camps. In later years, as a member of LaGrange United Methodist Church, he participated regularly in Elkhart District work camps and volunteered at Red Bird Mission, KY, and McCurdy Mission School, NM. In retirement, he continued his United Methodist mission work, adding annual mission trips to Jamaica as well as a mission trip to Liberia in West Africa.

Another part of his ministry was his love of music. He sang in the church choir for over forty years, always expressing his appreciation of classical and traditional songs. He brought music into most areas of his life, singing folk songs and accompanying himself on the ukulele on camping trips, while teaching economics, and while entertaining his grandchildren.

Paul was also an avid conservationist. In addition to membership and participation in numerous environmental organizations, including Pine Knob Conservation Club, Maple Wood Nature Center, and Boy Scouts, he had a life-long commitment to the land, beginning with working the family farm in South Bend in childhood through later maintaining acres of vegetable gardens, berry patches, and all types of flowers, the proceeds of which he delighted in giving away. In 1964, with his wife and young children, he moved onto 50 acres of farmland in LaGrange. Over the years, he transformed the land into a wildlife habitat, including wetlands and the Par-Gil Christmas Tree Farm. In 1994, the bulk of the land was donated to the LaGrange County Soil and Water Conservation District. Now as the Par-Gil Natural Resources Learning Center, the land continues to contribute to the environment and future generations.

Visitation will be held on Sunday, June 6, from 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m., at First United Methodist Church, 209 W. Spring St, LaGrange, followed by a memorial service at 3:00 p.m. with the Revs. Chris and Andrea Lantz officiating.

Further visitation and a reception will be held in the church after the service.

Memorial contributions can be made to First United Methodist Church Outreach.

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06.02.2021 djb

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