Born: Feb. 10, 1922

Died: May 30, 2013

Paul Janing, 91, of Marcellus, passed away Thursday, May 30, 2013.

He was born Feb. 10, 1922, in Marcellus, the son of Paul and Mildred (Bowers) Janing.

He was a 1939 graduate of Marcellus High School.

Paul joined the U.S. Marine Corps in October 1942. He, along with Bud Fuller and John Mater, left Marcellus on Armistice Day of 1942. They left from Kalamazoo and from there went by bus to Detroit, then by train to San Diego, Calif., for their “boot camp.”

He was stationed in New Caledonia, Guadal Canal, Hiroshima and Eugenia.

He always said he was proud to be a Marine and told many stories of World War II to his grandchildren.

After his years of service, Paul attended Western Michigan University.

He married Jacque Skidmore in December of 1949 and to this union were born four children, Kevin, Kim, Karla and Kerry.

He worked for Van Buren County Department of Human Services for 30 years.

On Dec. 28, 1988, Paul married Sandy Wiseman in Marcellus. After retirement, he grew fruits and vegetables in his large garden and sold them from his stand on Centre Street. He also had a vegetable concession wagon selling deep-fried vegetables in Michigan, Indiana and Illinois.

He was instrumental in building, promoting and working in the “Wild Patch” restaurant, ice cream and gift shop that he and Sandy operated.

Paul processed 100 quarts of black walnuts annually. He was a world champion horse shoe player and loved all sports, especially Michigan sports.

Paul often talked about his father, Paul Sr., who purchased a large amount of property on Cranberry Lake in the early 1930s. Paul spoke proudly of his father’s ability to keep the property, despite the onset of the Depression. Today, Cranberry Lake Campground is a very successful business under the direction of Paul’s son, Kerry.

Surviving Paul are: his wife, Sandy Wiseman of Marcellus; daughters, Kim (Larry) Larsh of Three Rivers and Karla Janing of Lansing; son, Kerry (Lauri) Janing of Vicksburg; grandchildren, Lindsey, Lisa, Jared, Leanne, Alayna, Abby, Kelsey and Mallory; step-children, Sue Wiseman of Kalamazoo, Jamie Stafne of Jones and Malisa (Kirby) Steil of Marcellus; step-grandchildren, Britney, Aquari, Alaila, Esden, Kaeler, Kayla, Mason, Tyson and Keegan; one great-grandchild, Aubri; and a sister, Doris Wortinger.

He leaves a lifetime friend, fishing and card playing buddy, Paul Hartman.

He was preceded in death by his parents and a son, Kevin.

His family will receive friends from 1 to 2 p.m. Wednesday, June 5, at Mater-Ralston Funeral Home, Marcellus, followed by the service at 2.

Memorials may be directed to Marcellus VFW Post 4054’s outdoor improvement fund or to Marcellus Ambulance.