W. Paul Hartley

W. Paul Hartley, 86, of Columbus, passed away on December 28, 2025. He was born on February 2, 1939, to the late Lloyd Ellis and Bessie Marie (Yates) Hartley. In addition to his parents, he was proceeded in death by his brother Lloyd, his sister Louise, his brother Sam, his sons Paul and Mark.

Paul was a design engineer. He started his career with Rockwell International working on multiple military and defense aircraft including the B1 Bomber. He designed instrument panels in the cockpit for the Space Shuttle. During his career he worked for North America Aviation and eventually retired from Boeing after 42 years in the industry.

Paul was an avid football fan; he loved The Ohio State Buckeyes and Cleveland Browns. Paul was a devoted Christian attending church faithfully. Paul passions included getting together with his family and sing hymns around the family piano.

Paul will be greatly missed by his daughter Laurie, his daughter, Debbie (husband Gary), brother Joe (wife Barb), sister-in-law MaryLou, brother-in-law Chuck, grandchildren, Cody, Chelsea (husband Patrick), Taylor (wife Veronika), and Spencer (wife Kayalani), and his great grandchildren, Sophia, Colin, Emma, Anderson, and Connor as well as numerous nieces, nephews, and friends.

A funeral service will be held at Forest Lawn Memorial Gardens, located at 5600 East Broad Street, Columbus, Ohio, 43213, United States. The service is scheduled for January 3, 2026, starting at 11:00 am.

The family would like to thank Danbury Senior Living staff and the Luminary Hospice team for the excellent care Paul received while in the memory care unit. We like to give extra appreciation for his Luminary Hospice music therapist Yuka Nagata for learning and singing gospel hymns with him on a regular basis.