Paul J. Morin

Paul Joseph Morin, 60, died with his beloved wife and stepdaughter at his side at his Hopkinton, NH home, Sunday September 20, 2020, from a thirty-nine-month journey living with glioblastoma multi-forme IV, a terminal brain cancer with a typical prognosis of fifteen months.

Paul was born February 10, 1960 in Manchester, NH to the late Gilles and Gloria (Jolicoeur) Morin and continued to be a lifelong resident of New Hampshire. He is survived by his wife, Patricia (Newhall) Morin to whom he married (also on February 10th) in 2018; his stepchildren Kristopher (and Dr. Kathryn Schulte-Grahame) Grahame of Revere, MA; and Alexandra (Lexi) Grahame of Jamaica Plain, MA; his beloved grandchildren Isaac and Evelyn Grahame of Revere, MA; his brother Robert (and Paula) Morin of Salem, MA; his niece Jessica (and Anthony) Auciello of Weare, NH; his nephew Elijah (and Jessica Ottenwess) of Orlando, FL; his parental in-laws Lester “Skip” and Patricia Newhall of Rochester, NH; Matthew (and Deadra, Sage and Ava) Heald of New Boston, NH; and his faithful canine companion, Henry Finster. He also leaves behind many loved friends who were by his side constantly during his illness.

A graduate of Bishop Brady High School, Paul went on to graduate with a bachelor’s degree from the University of New Hampshire in 1983 majoring in Communications with a minor in Philosophy. At the time, he had no idea the impact these chosen subjects would have upon his future. After working in Louisiana within the oil industry, Paul returned to NH to begin a career in the residential construction field as a builder and developer and went on to earn the Certified Graduate Builder designation from the National Association of Home Builders’ University of Housing. He was the owner of Tarkka Homes, Inc. from 1990 to present, building hundreds of custom homes throughout Southern NH. Paul was also a registered lobbyist in New Hampshire, affiliated with The Abacus Group (founded with his wife, Tricia) and the NH Home Builders Association (NHHBA), most often providing pro-bono services for the advancement of home ownership and safe practices for the builder and consumer community alike. He was extremely proud of crafting legislation that included the adoption of a statewide building code, workforce housing initiatives, and the ability to have accessory dwelling units constructed throughout NH, allowing the dignity of living at home to be available to all. He thoroughly enjoyed testifying before the NH House and Senate committees. This is where he truly applied those communications and philosophy skills firsthand.

Paul served his community in a variety of ways. He was Chair of the Town of Weare Planning Board from 2001-2009; past two-term President of the Greater Manchester Home Builders Association (GMHBA); NH Home Builders Association Government Affairs Chairperson for over 15 years; Weare, NH representative to the Southern NH Planning Commission from 2001-2007; and held positions on numerous NH state commissions and task forces. He was a regularly featured writer for the Granite State Builder Magazine.

Paul was the first residential contractor to be awarded the NH Construction Industry Ethics Award and was inducted into the NHHBA’s Hall of Fame in 2020. He was recognized as NHHBA Builder of the Year in 2004; and GMHBA Builder of the Year 2000, 2005, and 2018.

An avid golfer, chef, world traveler, and fishing aficionado, Paul lost many of these abilities following three craniotomies and a major stroke due to his GBM IV diagnosis which had also forced him to step down from his typical 70 hour work week. Not to be deterred, Paul turned to writing and cranked out four novellas. When his stroke in October 2019 left him unable to continue that pursuit, he taught himself to paint using watercolors. Ever the over-achiever, needless to say, he excelled in all of these venues, but perhaps his greatest accomplishment was his kind, generous, loving, and selfless acts. He never uttered a negative word and when asked how he was feeling, always replied “I’m wonderful”! Paul often said it took fifty-eight years to have children and grandchildren, and he could not have loved them more had he been their biological dad/grampa. His site supervisor, Matt Heald, was so much more than that. He was a son to Paul for the last 26 years they have been together and stood up as best man at Paul and Tricia’s wedding. For all of Paul’s accolades, his loving manner and love of family is what he will best be remembered for.

The family would like to acknowledge the incredible care, respect and dignity received from the Tufts Neuro-oncology and Neurosurgery Medical teams in Boston, MA and the Concord VNA Hospice team in Concord, NH.