Paul Louis Hershey

Paul was the first child born to Harold & J. Louise Hershey in Lansing, on Dec 26, 1940. He was later to become big brother to John, Janet, and David.

Paul graduated from Sexton High School in June of 1959 & soon after, he joined the Army as a means of financing his education. He spent nearly 3 years in France, then returned to Michigan & enrolled at MSU. He graduated in 3 yrs, then got his masters (in Comparative Literature), before heading out to teach at Valparaiso University in Indiana. He later decided a Doctorate would b a good thing & applied to several schools, finally deciding on Emory University in Atlanta GA. He did the classwork while teaching part time at Emory, but stalled when it became time write his thesis. The next several years were spent between working for the Federal Gov or trying to write. He finally decided against finishing his doctorate, accepted a full time position with US Office of Personal Management & he moved from Atlanta to Washington DC. From 1980 on, Arlington VA was home & the rich, historical district of the nations Capitol was his learning & entertaining school. He enjoyed visits from his siblings & then nieces & nephews as we all took advantage of his housing generosity & toured the town.

He retired from the Federal Govt in the mid 90's & decided to go to Law School, graduating from George Mason University law school. He worked for a Washington law firm for several years, before retiring a second time.

As he approached his 80's he began to question the wisdom of living so far from family, so when brother John began to show signs of dementia, he drove to Michigan, bought a condo & set about being a big brother. He found a place where he could swim laps 3 days a week, continued walking around town, visiting the library & found his way to his nieces & nephews homes for holidays.

Paul was preceded in death by his parents, step-mother Luella Hershey, & brother David Hershey. He is survived by his sister Janet Hershey & brother John Hershey, plus nieces & nephews Mary Rutledge ( Michael), Liz Canfield (Chad), Bob Sackrider (Cali), Kate Hershey (Jamie Winquist), & Mark Hershey (Emily Geanacopolus). Plus an assortment of great nieces & great nephews.

A celebration of Paul’s life will be held on Saturday, Sept 5, 2026, from 12-3 at Piazzano’s Restaurant at 1825 N. Grand River in Lansing.   Dress will be casual, with MSU garb being preferred.

Donations in Paul's memory can be made to the Greater Lansing Food Bank.