I was born Paul Morris on October 19, 1922, the son of John Morris and Lena Mishler Morris, the fourth child in a family of thirteen. I went to various one room schools, starting in one in a logging camp in South Dakota then in Nebraska, Oklahoma, and finally, Colorado.

I was drafted into the Army November 11, 1942. I took my basic training in Texas and then shipped overseas in April to the Southwest Pacific. While going under the Golden Gate Bridge, a wave came over the front of the ship, was 22 days going to New Caledonia way down south. From there, we started for the Solomon Islands on an LST ship and it took two torpedoes. I floated in the ocean on a life raft for eighteen hours before being picked up.

After a week, we went on to Guadalcanal and on up through the little island there, then, on to New Guinea from there to New Zealand for RR island to prepare for the invasion of the Philippines. When we left, there were ships behind us clear over the horizon, but we made our landing without any resistance. I was there a few days and I got wounded in both legs, both arms and butt and spent a long time in the hospital. The war ended while I was there, and I discharged from the Army December 12, 1945.

I was there three years and one day, came home to the farm and have been a farmer since. I married Florence Mae Simons Kipp on February 14, 1964 in Raton, New Mexico. I got me a ready-made family of two stepdaughters and a stepson which I raised as my own. I sold Archer* (Archer Oil Company, see below) for about 55 years, until the barrels got too heavy for me to handle (that's about it as of February 19, 2014).

Paul passed away in his home October 21, 2018 surrounded by his wife and loved ones. He is survived by his wife, Florence; those who called him Dad: Mary Lee, Susan and Harold (Debbie); those who called him Grandpa: Jenny (Milton II]) and Tina (Sean); those who called him "Punkin": Milton III (Cheyenne), Shiloh, Zoey and Christopher; two sisters: June Page (Irvin) and Ada Marshal; and host of nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by seven brothers: Harold, Gerald, Sylvan, Eugene, William, Donald and Lee; three sisters: Velma, Elizabeth and Florence; as well as his grandson, Rodney Carroll.

Paul was a man of very few words and thought of everything, including writing this, his own obituary. My grandparents were true sweethearts and he will be missed by all who knew and loved him. To say he was a great man does not do him justice. He was a loving husband, Dad, and Grandpa ("Punkin").

A graveside service was held Friday, October 26, 2018 at 10:00 a.m. at the Thurman Cemetery south of Anton, Colorado. Memorial donations may be made to the Flagler American Legion.

Published in Akron News-Reporter on Nov. 1, 2018

*From http://www.archeroil.com
The Archer Oil brand dates back to 1929. Those who hear the Archer story for the first time are often surprised. Archer has been producing quality lubricants for farmers and heavy duty equipment operators since1929. But Archer got its start in the air-not on the ground.

Back in the twenties, both commercial and private aviation were in their infancy. Little was known about airplanes, their power plants and their lubrication problems. As the airplane became more common for commercial use, it became evident that every precaution must be taken to improve its safety record if the industry was to make a permanent place for itself in the transportation world. Thorough investigation of accidents led to the knowledge that a large percentage of accidents were caused from engine failures brought on by faulty lubrication.

When Archer introduced this tougher oil to the agricultural and heavy duty equipment markets, operators soon discovered that this oil – built to withstand the extra heat and strain of an aircraft engine – naturally lasted longer and protected better than any of the conventional oils. That quality was something they wanted intheir equipment – that quality was what they wanted to tell their neighbors about.