Files
Download Full Text (46 KB)
Obituary
Paul, 90, died August 11, 2016, in Coeur d' Alene, Idaho. After graduation from high school in Wallace, Idaho, he enlisted in the Navy at age 17. Paul serving 1943-47 with a Seabee company in the South Pacific. He went to work as a miner in Kellogg until he started jumping in 1950 before being recalled into the Navy during the Korean War. In 1951 he returned to smokejumping and began a long career with the USFS. Paul jumped at Missoula 1952-56 before retiring from the USFS in 1980 after 32 years of service. After retirement he took part in the NSA Trails Program and also took up running where he participated in many runs including several marathons. He took a tandem parachute jump on his 75th birthday and other jumps with his grandsons with his last jump at age 85.
Identifier
Wilson_Paul-A_Missoula_1950
Publication Date
September 2016
Keywords
Smokejumping; Smokejumpers -- United States; National Smokejumper Association; Wildfire fighters; Obituaries
Disciplines
Forest Management
Recommended Citation
National Smokejumper Association, "Smokejumper Obituary: Wilson, Paul A. (Missoula 1950)" (2016). Smokejumper Obituaries. 666.
https://dc.ewu.edu/smokejumper_bios/666
