I lost touch with Paul over the years and did know of his passing until two weeks after.  He was an out spoken man with lots of ideas and a welcoming heart. He liked to party to the extreme.  He never liked to slow down. I will remember him taking me to Ranger lake to fish most of all.   He had the potential to do anything. I'm sure he will be missed.

I was so sorry to hear of Paul's passing. Our friendship goes back about 30 years. Paul was a great friend and I will miss him dearly.

Joyce Arnn

I could tell endless stories about Paul.  Like how when we were kids at the dinner table, he'd hide his uneaten vegetables under his potato skin and announce he was finished…as if no one was the wiser.  Or, the time he and I were fishing Ranger Lake in late September and couldn't keep two lines going because, every time we dropped a line we were pulling in another fish.  I think it's no secret that Paul loved Ranger Lake, that he was a great cook and grill master, or that he was devoted to his friends.   But what I want to know, what we all want to know is…

What would MacGyver do?   That was the question Paul would often jokingly pose whenever faced with a particularly tough challenge.  You see, MacGyver always figured it out, he always overcame enormous obstacles, and he always won.  Paul was MacGyver…

And like MacGyver, Paul was a genius.  He always figured it out.  Especially, if the challenge was mechanical.  His love of all things with an engine began at an early age.  He was only 12 when he rebuilt his first motorcycle.  It was an old Honda 90 that I had purchased for $50.  It was a true “basket case.”  It didn't run and sat in pieces in our basement at home.  I was quickly discouraged with the project that I had started, but not Paul.   He figured it out.  That Honda was the beginning of a long string of motorcycles from dirt bikes to road bikes that Paul would resurrect.  He loved the challenge of not only making it go, but making it go FAST!

Because, Paul loved speed.  One of his favorite demonstrations was to straddle his Kawasaki 900, both feet firmly on the ground.  Locking the front brake he would rev the engine, pop the clutch smoking the rear tire and when he and the bike were obscured by all the smoke, he would slowly sit down on the seat and take off like he was shot from a canon.  Mom witnessed his trick once, and I thought she'd die of a heart attack.  Frankly, none of us who knew him in his early years ever thought he'd live to become an old man.  

I don't know if it was the constant “road rash” or a near death experience, but Paul eventually outgrew his penchant for speed.  He turned his attention to rebuilding and restoring anything with wheels or a paint job.  Paul wasn't satisfied with “good as new.”  He had to make it faster, prettier, better than new.  And if you ever referred to an engine as a motor, Paul was quick to correct you…motors use electricity. 
 
When it came to finishing a project, Paul never did it based on how it looked, but how it felt.  He would run his fingers along a car body, an organ pipe, or a table top and only then decide when it was right to put that final coat over it.  He was a master at what he did.  And he left a legacy for all to see in countless area church organs, EMU's Pease Auditorium and his personal masterpiece, Hill Auditorium.

Paul loved life and lived it to the fullest.  He was quick to support his family and his friends and he always gave more than he got.  He didn't always make the “right” choices in life, but he always worked them out.  And in the end, when his challenge was cancer, he figured it out again.  You see, Paul didn't die,…he just passed through to the other side!  And his spirit remains in all of us.   After all…That's what MacGyver would do!

Your Loving Brother

Dear Paul.
We thank you for being such a loving and caring guy in our lives.
You had such a great sense of humor, a fantastic smile and was the life of our gatherings.
Thank you for all your thoughtfulness to all our family members.
Peace and love to you.
Thoughts and prayers to the Napier Family.
Don and Dolores Hanna ~ former Michigan residents

Today we let you go. Goodnight Dear Pooh. May your soul be at peace and may you spread your fun where there is none. Walk with me every day. Love always, Kim

I am so very sorry to read of Paul's passing.  Our family lived across the street from the Napier family for years.  We were close friends.  My heart and prayers are with you.

Paul and I shared so many good times........laughing until we cried, sitting on his deck sharing stories with the "Gang", hot tub in a blizzard, Pink Pony on Mackinaw and the beauty of Ranger Lake are only a few.  Paul was always up for a good time and really lived his life his way!

He was always giving in so many ways with a warm smile and a voice that felt as though it entered your soul.  I will always here you Paul when I need some direction.  You were never shy about giving your opinion whether asked for or not.  You are so sadly missed.

Until we meet at the Rainbow Bridge, as you would say, "That's it and that's That".  God rest you soul.  

May the Peace of God's Love be with your Family and Friends.  

Pammie

Thank you Paul for being you. We are so blessed that we got to know you.  You will be truly missed. The Newcomb's Jay Cindi Erik and Jake   Thoughts and prayers to the family

As I walked up Packard Street on many, many a cold day, I could always count on Uncle Paulie sweeping me up in the gray Volvo and dropping me off at my door step as he was driving home from the BeeHive.

We shared lots and lots of fun, and occasionally some tears in the garage on Seminole.  Lots of guys and a couple of girls, neighbors having a good time, Paul always with a smile on his face.

U-M Football Saturday's and Superbowl Sunday parties at Paul's were always a hoot.  I hope someone remembers how to make his special wing dings.  He sure was a good cook and a great party host.

I'll also miss cruising in the big yellow car often with Aldo, Brian, Pasquale, Tina and Jim in tow.

Glad I got to be a special part of your life.  It was a good ride and I'll miss you.

  He was a great neighbor and will be missed.  Our sympathy to all of his family.

I am honored to have had Paul touch my heart so deeply and being a big part of my life!

The best way to describe Paul is “AMAZING”.  He was such a LOVING, passionate, caring and full of fun guy.  There so may laughs and tears when we were together.  He certainly knew how to make the best of everything! 

He touched me and my family in so many ways – from being such a great host for holiday celebrations with our families to birthdays to a back yard volleyball game or a simple cook out.  He enjoyed life to its fullest!

He certainly knew how to have a good time!

I will never forget the first time that I met him.  Those big brown eyes were awesome and add his beautiful smile he won my heart first time I met him! 
 
From the first Halloween party that we worked on at the house to create the perfect costumes for us to wear to going fishing, working on detailing of the cars during the restoration process, trips to Florida to visit my grandparents, the trips to the New Jersey Shores or a simple get away to Ranger Lake to enjoy the beauty of it all.  So many wonderful memories made with him and his family.

Paul had reached out to me mid-summer with such a heavy heart so I made a trip to Ann Arbor knowing that he needed to talk.  He started off with making amends and we shared so many tears and laughs in just a short time.  We broke each other hearts with our lives heading in opposite directions during our growing process, but we still believed in each other no matter what happened.

I am so thankful of the wonderful memories and great times that we has to together.

He will “ALWAYS” hold a very special place in my heart.   He taught me so much!

THANK YOU Paul for being you!  You will be missed so much! 

Loving thoughts to the family,
Renée

We got to know Paul many years ago and always loved his great sense of humor and embrace of life!  He will live in our memory forever.  Our thoughts and prayers are with his family!

Like so many of Paul's friends, I will miss him.  I'll miss the many discussions we had, his point of view, his sense of humor, & his multi-faceted knowledge. I'll miss the laughs & good times we had. Paul helped me through tough times throughout the years.  I hope I helped you, Paulie, in some way as well.

I'll miss you my brother...

We will miss the humor and stories of Paul.  He was a friend of ours and stood as best man at our wedding in 1985.  Rich and he were "motorcycle" friends from 1975 and there have been many, many memories made to be chersihed.  Our prayers are with the family at this time.

I knew Paul when we were kids. He lived on Western and I on Westarie Way. Paul tought me how to build landscapes for my train set. He had a custom fiberglass motorcycle he made himself and use to ride wheelies down all the streets. God Bless his soul.

Rob Ponitz

Paul came into the Curtin Family early on in our marriage and has been there throughout the years to celebrate births, graduations, anniversaries, and all of life's challenges.  Paul was the brother Peter never had and was always there for him as well as all of his hair-brained schemes...from the 69'BMW to the 65'SL.  Our girls will miss Uncle Paulie's quips at family gatherings and his never ending patience with their car dramas - I will miss always knowing where to find Pete when he was awol and the eye-rolling Paul and I would share at whatever next crazy thing Pete was up to. So until we can share 'grace' together again Mr. Paul, you will always have a place at our table... well done good and faithful servant, well done.     

Love, 
Kate Morris Curtin 
(Emileigh and Alisunn)

Paul was on old friend and classmate. I pray for Him now and his family. Gods  mercy and peace be with all.

Paul lived life full throttle and wouldn't have had it any other way. I'll miss you MacGyver. A spark is gone. My sympathies to the family.
Love,

Dear Napier Family,

    So very sorry for your loss...

Paul and Mary Kay Whitmer

My memories of Paul go back to the early days of Ranger lake, when as neighbors we met and shared the excitement and wonder of being a part of building our Camps in a place of great Beauty that our parents had aquired for us all. 
 Our friendship grew quickly, we even joined efforts and brushed out a trail through the bush to join our Camps and Families.
 Through Paul's kindness and selfless generosity his fiendship crossed the border to friends here in Ontario.
  Over the years we shared many good times fishing, camping and bending each other's ears.
 Paul will be missed deeply by All his good heart has touched.
  Heard tell there is a Great Campfire in the Sky where good folks gather, and I know he is as well Loved there as he was here.

Heaven got an angel back! I will be praying for the family.

Love,

Alicia Travis

AVIS DE DÉCÈS

Paul Jonathan Napier

19 août 1956 – 14 octobre 2012

Muehlig Funeral Chapel

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