Paul was born at his home on July 4, 1939 in rural Silver Lake, MN to parents Sylvester and Barbara (Chmielewski) Mallak. In his younger years, Paul was very involved in the family farm. He enjoyed sports and was a talented basketball and football player. In 1957, he graduated as Valedictorian from Silver Lake High School and went on to attend college at the University of Minnesota.
After college, he was offered a job at 3M where he met the love of his life, Annette (Nootnagel), during a work lunch. Paul and Annette were united in marriage on April 18, 1964 after she said "Definitely maybe" to his marriage proposal on October 18, 1963. They had 6 children- Jeanne, Robert, Gregory, Jeffrey, Vicki and William. Paul was a beloved husband, dad, grandpa and great-grandpa. He dedicated his life to his family and worked as an engineer for 3M for over 35 years.
Paul was a man of simple pleasures, finding joy in the outdoors- family camping adventures, fishing, gardening, riding bike, shooting hoops on the driveway, playing catch with a football, baseball or softball, bird watching around the bird houses he built, enjoying the serene sounds from the wind chimes he made and celebrating his 4th of July birthdays with family barbecues (he was the grill master!) amongst many other holiday gatherings with family. He also loved dessert and never missed an opportunity for a sweet treat. Paul was a jack of all trades- plumbing, electric, woodworking- he could fix just about anything and enjoyed creating thoughtful and ingenious designs from wood (including an amazing Mickey Mouse rocking horse for his youngest daughter Vicki's first born).
Paul is survived by his loving wife of 61 years, Annette; children: Jeanne (Kelly) Burrows, Bob, Greg (Melissa), Jeff, Vicki (Nate) Painovich and Bill (Bridget); grandchildren: Megan, Dustin, Desiree, Jessika, Nick, Natalie, Alex, Lauren, Abigail, Raechel, Blake, Autumn, Kalli and Jenna, and great-grandson Emmett; siblings: Sylvester (Rose), John (Jane), and Margaret Schermann. He is also survived by many nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.
Paul is preceded in death by his parents, Sylvester and Barbara; sisters: Frances Dvorak and Agnes Grogan, brother James, and daughter-in-law Cleo Mallak.
Mass of Christian Burial will be held Thursday, July 10, 2025 at 11:00 AM with Visitation one hour prior to service, from 10:00 - 11:00 AM at Guardian Angels Catholic Church, 8260 4th St. N., Oakdale, MN 55128. Inurnment will follow at Guardian Angels Cemetery. A luncheon will follow the inurnment at the church.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Open Cupboard (opencupboard.org) in Oakdale, MN in Paul's name.
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