John Oliver Paull

Savannah – John Oliver Paull, 92, died October 6^th, 2014 at his home at The Marshes after a prolonged illness.  Born in Los Angeles, California, he was predeceased in death by his parents, Ruth Haisley Paull and William Thompson Paull, and by his daughter, Susan Paull Neff.

He received his undergraduate degree from the University of California at Berkeley with a degree in Chemical Engineering. In 1943, he enrolled in the Navy’s V-1 program, and was commissioned an ensign after only 90 days of mid-shipman basic training at Northwestern University in Chicago, IL.

One of his future assignments in the Navy was serving on the staff of Adm. William “Bull” Halsey as an RCM officer on the USS Indianapolis. Subsequently, he served on the USS Missouri, and it was at this time that a ceasefire was declared between the United States and Japan on August 15^th, 1945.  On September 2, 1945, John was privileged to be able to watch the signing of the formal surrender of the Japanese Empire by their Foreign Minister and Gen. Douglas MacArthur, the Supreme Allied Commander on the upper deck.

In January of 1946, John was discharged from the Navy in Los Angeles. He spent the next 31 years of his life working for Honeywell Regulator Company, in various positions, and moved from L.A. to Denver, Detroit, New York and Washington D.C.  He moved to the Landings in 1986 from Greenwich, Connecticut with his now deceased wife, Vawter.

He was a member of the Landings Club, where he happily played golf and The Oglethorpe Club. If there was a national crossword puzzle club, he surely would have been a charter member.

John is survived by his loving wife, Barbara, daughters Elizabeth Mitchell (Morgan) of Riverside, Conn., and Nancy Rosebush (James) of Washington, D.C, plus his 9 grandchildren, Catherine, Gregory and Langdon Mitchell, David, Mark and Scott Neff, and Claire Harvey and Lauren Hillyard. He took great joy in having 4 great grandchildren.

John took great pleasure in his Wednesday morning bike rides with his “Sweet Old Bikers” group, followed by a hearty breakfast.

And one achievement that he was justly proud of was in creating the “Paull Parkway”, a picturesque path that led to the Landings Village from the Marshes, for walkers and golf carts.

A funeral service will be held on Friday, October 31, 2014 at 4:30 p.m. at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church at the Landings, with a reception to follow at the Plantation Club.

Memorial contributions: Hospice Savannah, Inc., P. O. Box 13190, Savannah, GA 31406 or a charity of your choice.