Paul Anthony Armknecht Jr.

Paul Anthony Armknecht, Jr., 76 of Williamsburg, Virginia, passed away unexpectedly on Sunday, July 11, 2021. Paul is survived by his wife of 39 years, Cherie; his daughter and son-in-law, Lauren and Steve Murray; his son and daughter-in-law, Patrick and Barbara Armknecht; his stepson and daughter-in-law, Brian and Debbie Cameron; his two stepdaughters, Heather Cameron and Tara Cameron; and six grandchildren, Alexandra Murray, Courtney Cameron, Russell Cameron, Brooke Armknecht, Andrew Murray, and Brennan Armknecht. Paul was the only surviving child of Paul Armknecht, Sr. and his wife June. Paul was born in Shamokin, PA on July 10, 1945 to Paul and June (Bamford) Armknecht. He grew up outside Baltimore, Maryland and earned a Bachelor of Science from Loyola University Maryland in 1967. He went on to attend the Catholic University of America, where he received a Master of Arts in 1971 and a Doctor of Philosophy in 1982. He had been a member of several organizations related to the field of economics including the National Bureau of Economic Research, the Conference on Research in Income and Wealth, the American Economic Association and the American Statistical Association. Paul was an assistant commissioner of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in Washington, DC from 1988 to 1995 and subsequently worked for the International Monetary Fund (IMF) serving as deputy division chief in the Statistics Department until 2006. He was an international expert on price statistics, and while working with the IMF consulted with many developing countries on improvements to their national systems for measuring economic activity. Prior to those roles, he was the Bureau’s chief of the Branch of Consumer Prices from 1984 to 1988, supervisory economist from 1972 to 1983, and economist from 1967 to 1972. He had also been a statistics expert and deputy division chief of the real sector for the IMF. In addition, he was an instructor at the University of Maryland in College Park, MD, from 1984 to 1996, and worked at Montgomery College in Rockville, MD, as an adjunct professor from 1983 to 1985 and an instructor of economics from 1977 to 1982. Paul is best known for his work on the development of international manuals on the compilation of consumer, producer, and international price indexes. His work with developing countries has helped many nations work toward better economic measurements and policies. Paul contributed articles to numerous professional journals, economics and statistics conferences, and three international price statistics manuals. He is listed in the third edition of Who’s Who in American Education as well as in the 23rd through 25th editions of Who’s Who in the East. Paul was a Baltimore Colts fan (until they snuck out of Baltimore) at which time he switched his allegiance to the Washington Football Team (a.k.a. Washington Redskins). He enjoyed traveling and had visited six continents and numerous developing countries in his work with the IMF. Paul was also a dedicated father to his children and stepchildren, coaching sports teams, driving the entire family to Florida annually for vacations, taking his children and grandchildren to Disney World frequently, and bringing his large family on the cruises he and his wife loved. Paul was an avid golfer. Paul was very active in the founding of the United Church of Christ of Seneca Valley in Germantown, MD devoting his time and resources to the development of the Parish before his retirement to Williamsburg, VA. Paul and Cherie are currently parishioners at King of Glory Lutheran Church in Williamsburg, VA. Paul was incredibly smart, extremely witty, and always empathetic. His sudden passing leaves a great void for his family and many who knew him but we are grateful for the time we had with him and his great love for us. Visitation will be Friday, July 23 from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at Nelsen Funeral Home, 3785 Strawberry Plains Rd., Williamsburg, VA 23188. A funeral service will be held Saturday, July 24 at 10:00 a.m. at the King of Glory Lutheran Church, 4897 Longhill Rd., Williamsburg, VA 23188 with a reception to follow. We give thanks for the life of Paul. Memorial gifts may be made to: Loyola University Maryland to fund a scholarship in his name. Loyola University Maryland, 4501 N. Charles St., JH 210, Baltimore, MD 21210 (www.Loyola.edu)