Paul Louis DuRocher's Obituary
Paul Louis DuRocher, age 85, passed away on Sunday, May 9, 2021 in California. Paul was born in Muskegon, Michigan on October 26, 1935 to Elsie Marie (Slater) DuRocher and Alfred J. DuRocher. From a family of modest means, he met his childhood sweetheart Lorraine Felcoskie when he was 17 but soon joined the Air Force for a life of adventure. He was quickly recognized for his expert mechanical skills and was made Crew Chief and spent his long military career keeping the planes in top condition. Paul served two tours in Vietnam. At one point he was part of Air America, a secret CIA project working in Laos to help the small country build its own air force so that it could help in the war with Vietnam. Paul continued to travel the world in his 21-year career. Along the way he married and had three children, before settling in Citrus Heights, California as a bachelor. Soon after his arrival he made inquiries in his hometown of Muskegon about his long-lost love Lorraine. As luck would have it, she was also single and they were married on June 4, 1983, in Reno, Nevada and married for 38 years. They lived a happy, stress free life in their new hometown in California. Paul’s hobbies were his many collections of western memorabilia, model cars, fine glassware, and the prolific signage in his immaculately curated garage. He and Lorraine enjoyed finding treasures at local markets that he would artistically transform with his own touches. He had a massive sweet tooth and would put sugar on anything. Donuts were his favorite food. Although they lived in California, Paul and Lorraine made frequent trips across the US, often by train. Lorraine survives him along with three children, Derrick (Stephanie) Morton, Dawn (Jack) Miller, and Troy (Titi) DuRocher; four grandchildren, Trevor Morton, Grace Morton, Sean DuRocher, and Ryan (Lyndsey) Anderson; great-grandson, Logan Anderson. Extended family include: Daughter Diane (Kyle) Long; grandchildren, Brandi (Chad) Sherman, Linda (Robert) Taylor; great-grandchildren, Chase Sherman, Kyli Taylor, and Kaleb Taylor. SERVICES for Paul will be Friday, May 21st at 11:00am with a Visitation at 10:00am at The Walburn Chapel of Sytsema Funeral & Cremation Services, 1547 W. Sherman Blvd., Muskegon, MI 49441. BURIAL will take place immediately at St. Mary’s Cemetery. MEMORIALS in memory of Paul may be directed to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (www.stjude.org/donate)
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