First Corinthians 2:9 No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who loved him.
Born January 3, 1935 and left us on September 22, 2024.
Paul, as he preferred to be called, was born in Dover, Delaware to James Edward Eichholz and Margaret Eichholz (Owens). Now, about that first name…during the Depression Paul’s Dad was a foreman at a Nehi Bottling Plant. His boss at the plant made sure of Ed’s job security although many were let go. The name of the boss was, you guessed it, Chandos. This led to years of Paul calling himself C. Paul Eichholz and making the C part of CPE a great mystery. He did not dislike the name he just got tired of explaining it.
On a trip to London in 1999, Paul and his wife saw five plays, and visited many art museums. Near the National Gallery and Trafalgar Square they chanced upon Chandos Place and the Chandos building. Seems old Chan was a famous British General of days gone by.
Paul graduated from Pierre S. Dupont high School in Wilmington, Delaware. He then attended the University of Delaware to major in Mechanical Engineering. A point of pride for Paul was to be the only freshman engineering student to receive an “A” in English that year. Go you Fighting Blue Hens! Delaware is a big poultry state. Late in his career he earned a Master’s Degree in Business from Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. While at U of D he joined Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity and was the student manager of the UD Baseball team.
As a 12 year old he had a paper route and started saving for college. He added to that fund by working in a grocery store through high school and college. All that effort enabled him to pay his way through school.
N.V.F. Company in Kennett Square, PA was his first job after college. His second was with Delco Electronics in Kokomo, Indiana. At the time Delco was a division of General Motors and made all the radios for GM cars. The rest of his career was spent with Delco. There he polished his talent for problem solving. Paul enjoyed the work and he retired as an Engineering Manager with experience also in Purchasing.
While living in Delaware he met his future wife, Thelma Estelle Mitchell on a blind date. It was truly a blind date as Paul had bad eyesight his entire life. His first grade teacher told his parents that he was very smart. However, when asked to read from the blackboard he would talk about anything else. So he wore glasses in first grade and thereafter. The bad eyesight explains why he thought his wife was “great looking”. They were married on August 24, 1963 at Asbury UMC in New Castle, Delaware.
They made many good friends in Kokomo. Especially at their church, Grace UMC. Paul and Thelma were active there. Other friends were made at work. Paul enjoyed bowling in a Delco League. He also enjoyed playing golf in The Villages. They went to Treasure Island, FL for many years with three other families. Among the families were seven kids, Andy being the youngest. These trips also included Disney World and the Space Coast. And oh! Those restaurants. Louis Pappas in Tarpon Springs and the Careless Navigator were two favorites.
While watching golf, Paul saw an ad for The Villages. He then sent for the VHS tape, remember those? They bought a home in Silver Lake where they lived for 22 years, 19 of those years were spent snow-birding to Indiana. Then Paul & Thelma lived at Elan/Watercrest for five years followed by almost a full year at Pebble Springs. Wonderful friendships enriched their lives wherever they lived.
Paul was preceded in death by his parents, Ed and Margaret Eichholz, a nephew Ricky Eichholz, a sister in law Helen Eichholz, in laws Thelma and Robert Mitchell and several Aunts and Uncles.
He is survived by his wife Thelma, son Andrew (Charlie), brother Eddie, nephews Eddie Alan (Susan), Jamie (Amanda), and Ken Eichholz and brother in law RW Mitchell.
Thelma and Paul were both firstborns…bossy and stubborn and far from perfect. But they loved each other and Andy, their friends, God and their churches. They had good times and trying times but they remembered their promise to love in sickness and in health. In their later years they couldn’t remember what they had argued about. So they were married for 61 years.
Much gratitude to Cornerstone Hospice in The Villages for your kindness and compassion. Also, thank you for the assistance of Home Health Aides from Transition at Home and Angels Around You. Finally, thank you to June and Bob Gist who are friends “like family” and are Andy’s Godparents. May God bless you all. Thelma Eichholz
The service will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, October 11, at New Covenant U.M.C.
