Paul V. CROTEAU

Paul V. Croteau believed that no person alive was aware of what made him tick, which is reason to write his own obituary: Paul V. Croteau was born February 5, 1916 and died Oct. 2, 2005. He is survived by his wife, Anice; daughters, Libby, Joan and Dorothea, and brother, Guillaume. Paul was born on a farm in Otsego, MN, where his first school was a one-room schoolhouse, after which he attended sixteen learning institutions before he acquired his Diploma in Metallurgy and Chemistry for Welding Engineers in the year 1942. During his athletic years he played on numerous championship baseball and basketball teams which caused him to believe that he was a good athlete. Paul resided in Carefree, AZ for the last one and a half years of his life. Prior to that he lived in North Port, FL from 1983 to 2004, of which 18 of those years he was a snow bird to and fro Minnesota. Paul worked for a well known manufacturer of welding equipment for more than 50 years, starting as a student welder in 1935 and retiring with the title of "Technical Sales Administrator" in 1981. Consequently he was a consultant. During 1942-46, Paul served in the USA Navy Ship Repair Unit where he gained Certification in six various Navy Trades and where his work in the Navy Yard was recorded as being outstanding. He also received a personal citation from President Truman for his outstanding performance and leadership activities in the Atlantic, Panama, Philippines, Korea and China. Paul returned to his employer with greater experience and qualifications, where he authored various training and promotional booklets for educational use at industrial plants, technical colleges, national exhibits, etc. He also developed many welding and safety programs which he taught, exhibited, demonstrated and/ or consulted in all of the Americas, Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Paul was a Life Member of the American Welding Society, a Life Member of the Knights of Columbus, a Life member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, a Charter Member of the Carl George Jung Association of Minnesota, (now MJA). He was a contributing member of a Roman Catholic Church in Minneapolis, MN, as well as a Church in North Port, FL and in Carefree, AZ. Paul held fast to his belief that his VFW Resolution of 15 years, is the sole solution to the USA Federal debt because it will solve the prime cause of the Federal debt. On Saturday, November 12, 2005 at 10:00 AM a Memorial Mass will be celebrated at Our Lady of Lourdes Church, One Lourdes Place, Minneapolis, MN 55414.