Paul Gene Felix

Paul graduated from Creston High School in 1964. Always a proud American with a sense of duty and patriotism, Paul went on to serve in the U.S. Army from 1966 to 1969, attaining the rank of Sergeant. As a Green Beret, he served with the 8th Special Forces Group (Airborne), at Fort Gulick in the Panama Canal Zone. He was a qualified paratrooper and earned the Parachutist Badge. Upon returning from the Army, Paul took courses at Grand Rapids Junior College to become a police officer.

On April 24, 1970, Paul was united in marriage to the love of his life, Yvonne (deceased) and together they shared 53 years of marriage.

In 1970, Paul joined the Grand Rapids Police Department, where he worked in several different units over his 27 years on the force which included time as an EMT (Emergency Medical Technician), patrolman, and detective, eventually retiring in 1997. During his time at GRPD he was nominated for Officer of the Year and received a Distinguished Service Award for meritorious actions.

Paul was an active member of St. James Lutheran Church where he served as a deacon for several years and was an active member of the congregation. Paul was known for his faith, integrity, kindness, and his love of languages. Paul took pride in knowing how to say hello in several languages always looking for ways to make personal connections with people that he met – be it at work, at a restaurant or at the local merchants he frequented. Paul lived with his family in the Northville Park neighborhood of Grand Rapids for most of his adult life. And in his spare time (which was limited as he was always a hard worker), he loved spending time at the swim club with his wife and son P.J. or coaching his son’s tee-ball team. He loved his family and was a proud dad of his son P.J. (Paul Jr.), his daughter-in-law Nicole and grandchildren Stella and Levi. Paul was an avid hunter and fisherman. He recalled some of his favorite childhood memories as those when his dad took him up north to go fishing. And throughout his life he loved going hunting with his good friends.

Paul spent his last few years at Boulder Creek Assisted Living in Rockford where he was surrounded by a compassionate Care team that made him feel like family. Perhaps surprising to some, he was considered a social butterfly at Boulder Creek making a genuine impact on the Care team and staff and forging many friendships. And the police officer in him was always watching over everyone!

Paul is survived by his son P.J. (Nicole) Felix; his granddaughter Stella and grandson Levi, as well as Roger Helmer (Lowell) and his wife Sue who he regarded like family.

Additionally, Paul is survived by sisters Lynne Sinclair and Laurie Falkowski and sisters-in-law Diane Felix and Regina May as well as many nieces and nephews including Denise Bergin, Danielle Green, Jeremy May, Jeremy Shepard, Rikki Sinclair, Andy Nowack, and Leigha Mason.

He was preceded in death by his wife Yvonne, his parents Andrew and Agnes, and his siblings Donald Felix, Joyce Spong, Karl Felix, Dale Felix, David Felix, and Andrew Felix.

Visitation will be held on Monday, November 2, 2026 from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Reyers North Valley Chapel. Visitation will also be held at St. James Lutheran Church, 2040 Oakwood Ave NE, Grand Rapids, MI on November 3, 2026 from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. followed by a Funeral Service at the same location at 11:00 a.m.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in memory of Paul can be made to St. James Lutheran Church (https://giving.servantkeeper.com/stjamesgr), Team USA Fund which supports Olympic Athletes (https://www.teamusa.com/) and the Grand Rapids Police Foundation (https://www.grpolicefoundation.org/).