Edwin L. Paulus

Edwin L. Paulus, 94, was welcomed warmly into Heaven by his son Gene on September 8, 2022.

Ed is survived by his wife of 72 years, Miriam, of the home as well as his daughter Gayle (Gilbert) Held and daughter-in-law, Debra, of Norman, Oklahoma; his son John and daughter Christine (Skip) Engel, all of Tucson, Arizona; grandsons Keith (Kathy) of Henderson, Nevada, Kent (Miranda, deceased) of Moore and John (Elizabeth) of Blanchard as well as six great-grandchildren.

He is also survived by sisters-in-law Myrna Gehle Gigandet, Hazel Nickol and brother-in-law Ramon (Rosie) Nickol ,all of Versailles, Ohio and sister-in-law Marie Nickol of Tucson, Arizona, numerous nieces and nephews and dear and loyal friends Scott and Cheryl Miller and Dave and Donna Gragg of Norman.

In addition to his son Gene, Ed was preceded in death by all of his siblings: Sisters Hilda Thirion (in infancy), Adele (Paul) Marchal, Theola (Lou) Raterman and Lucille (Carl) Coffield as well as his brothers Robert (Alberta) Paulus and Charles (Clara) Paulus; brothers-in-law Delaine Gehle, Van Nickol and Edwin Nickol; sisters-in-law Jean Nickol and Delia Nickol; brothers-in-law and wives Fred and Iris Nickol, John and Ramona Nickol and Neil and Peggy Nickol.

Ed, Gene and Miriam were the owners of Master Tech Auto Service, Inc. on 24th Avenue NW for 30 years. The founding of the business capped a lifetime of involvement in the automobile industry. Ed’s hobbies reflected his all-consuming interest in cars and racing. He was a member of the Canadian River Cruisers. His 90th birthday party was held at Master Tech. He looked forward to attending the races at the Texas Motor Speedway with his son Gene and enjoyed watching stock car racing on television.

Ed had an inexhaustible supply of stories about cars, fixing cars and racing cars. One of his favorite stories was about racing backwards on country roads in western Ohio with his friend and brother-in-law, the late Delaine Gehle. His knowledge of the details of almost every make and model of domestic cars was encyclopedic. He was the “go to” man for every baffling “LRS” (leak, rattle or squeak) that came into the shop. He could identify the make and model of almost any car from a snippet of a photograph.

Edwin L. Paulus was born in 1928 on a farm in Shelby County, Ohio, the son of William and Augustine Paulus. He was baptized at St. Remy’s Church in Russia, Ohio. He attended school in Russia and graduated from Versailles (Ohio) High School. He married Miriam Nickol on February 11, 1950 at St. Denis Catholic Church in Versailles.

While in high school during World War II, he worked at the Sohio station on Main Street in Versailles. He worked in a series of jobs as a mechanic and became quite skilled. While working in Dayton, Ohio, Ed’s talent as a mechanic as well as his good nature and people skills caught the attention of the owner of the dealership, and Ed was promoted to service writer. The dealer later promoted him to service manager at a new dealership that was opening in Tucson, Arizona where the family relocated in 1965.

Ed also successfully managed the service departments of other large dealerships in Cheyenne, Wyoming and Norman where he and Miriam relocated in 1982. In 1990, they founded Master Tech which they operated successfully for thirty years until their retirement in 2020. Ed enjoyed his time in Norman especially his activities with the Canadian River Cruisers and the Kiwanis Club.

Ed was a member of the Ohio National Guard during the Korean War when he was called to active duty. He was honorably discharged in 1952. He was proud that he still fit into his Army uniform which he wore to the Veterans’ Day celebration in Norman in 2019, a perfect picture of which can be viewed on the Canadian River Cruisers web page.

Donations may be made in Ed’s honor to St Joseph’s Catholic Church, 211 N. Porter Ave., Norman, 73071 or the Canadian River Cruisers Car Club.

The family wishes to thank the many friends, colleagues and customers in Norman who made our father’s life there so very happy and meaningful.

**The service will be livestreamed through www.ibcnorman.org**