Paul Esli Goble

January 20, 1924 - November 02, 2021

Paul was born, the second of five children, to Carl and Ellen (Reust) Goble in Guymon, Oklahoma, and raised on a farm in the Oklahoma Panhandle. He grew up with an appreciation for farm animals and wildlife. Early on his family and he discovered his gift for running, fixing, and adapting machinery of all types; a gift that carried him throughout his life.

When he was 11, his mother was disabled by a lightning strike which left her paralyzed on her left side. The children assumed her household duties which she regained her strength, and Paul became the household cook. His family endured the Depression years that were followed by the Dirty Thirties on the prairie, and by the age of 16 he convinced his father to sign for him to join President Roosevelt’s Civilian Conservation Corps. He was stationed in western Colorado where some of his duties included teaching young recruits to drive over the Million Dollar Highway while it was being constructed, a watershed project for water storage for the Grand Valley, and work on the Mancos Reservoir. His main duties were maintenance of heavy equipment as a mechanic and the management of a camp post exchange in Mancos, Colorado.

From his time in the CCC, he enlisted directly into the US Marine Corps at the age of 18 and spent his enlistment in the Pacific Theater during World War II. He again served as a heavy equipment and as a driver who delivered supplies and ordnance to the front lines and brought back the wounded and dead to base camp. He saw combat in New Guinea, Cape Gloucester, New Britain, Pelieu, Okinawa, and Ryukyu islands, and joined in the allied occupation of China.

When he returned home in 1946, he met and married Betty Lou Derrick in Guymon, Oklahoma. They moved to Grand Junction in 1954, where he found work as a mechanic at the Laycock Motor Company. He and Betty bought a brand-new home on 30 Road. In 1957 the family moved to Uravan, Colorado where Paul worked as a heavy equipment mechanic on Union Carbide vehicles used in the mining and milling of uranium. They returned to their home on 30 Road after 18 months.

Paul was known for his kindness and willingness to repair cars and anything else that needed fixing especially for people who could not afford going to a repair shop. He worked many late hours in his yard and home shop, often rebuilding broken parts that he knew would be too expensive for someone to buy new. He and Betty opened their home to fostering children for several years. His children remember his ability to fix or make toys, how he could give each character in the Sunday funnies its own personality as he read to a lapful of kids, how he kept restless children occupied in church by making tiny sailboats out of scraps of paper. They learned about compassion, integrity, problem solving, and faith. He chose to give his talent and services to his church as he took care of general repairs, the HVAC system, served on the church board, taught junior boys Sunday school, and much more. He often shared that he felt his job in life was to take care of the widows and orphans because that’s what Jesus said to do.

Paul and Betty’s family included 6 children, one of whom died in infancy, 6 grandchildren, 11 great grandchildren, and 8 great-great grandchildren. He is preceded in death by his parents, three brothers (John, James and Leland), his wife Betty, daughters Betty Paulette and Deanna (Atwood), and grandson Johnathan Atwood. He is survived by his sister Doris Ferguson, daughters Mary garner and Carla Atwood, and son William Goble.

A celebration of Paul’s life will be held on December 11, 2021 at 2 p.m. at the Grand Junction First Church of the Nazarene at 2802 Patterson Road, Grand Junction, Colorado 81506.

Memorial contributions may be made in Paul’s name to the Nazarene Church.