Paul Ralph Duval

                                                   “Surely on his way to run the operations of Heaven.”

Paul Duval, long time resident of New England but most notably in Attleboro, MA and Chepachet, RI also the past decade in Beaufort, SC, passed away on December 27^th at Rhode Island Hospital of heart failure due to 85 years of loving his family and friends.

Paul is survived by his wife of 46 years, Anna K. Duval; three sons, Brian and Christopher Duval and Dean Kowalczuk; four grandchildren Alyssa, Dean, Jake and Jonathan; one great grandson Luke and numerous nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents Arnold & Laura and two brothers Ronald & David.

Paul grew up in Westwood MA. A graduate of the local high school in 1956. He earned degrees from Nichols College and later Lesley College. He furthered his education in many programs including at the University of Hartford, Empire State College, The Dale Carnegie Institute and Bryant College.

He served his country honorably in the United States Army Reserve from 1961 to 1968 completing his duties as a Staff Sergeant. He did not discuss his service often until later in life after his son Dean served in the United States Air Force and later his granddaughter Alyssa served in the United States Army, and they all shared that bond openly.

Most of Paul’s life, he was involved in business. Early on, he worked for three summers during high school at a local pharmacy. While he obtained his first college degree and in between activities like glee club, quartet, tennis, and ice hockey, he bought and ran the campus beer mug concession with his roommate and managed to sell a personalized mug to all 800 students. When he graduated from Nichols College, he was awarded several titles including “Most likely to succeed” and “Best Exemplifies the Ideals of the College”.

After college and his military service, he went on to hold many supervisory and management rolls for some of the best-known retail names such as Sears Roebuck, Montgomery Ward, Stop & Shop, Bradlees and most notably he worked his way up to Vice President of Personnel at Ann & Hope in Cumberland, RI overseeing the employment and training of hundreds of managers and thousands of employees.

Paul co-owned many small businesses with his wife Anna over the years both while at Ann & Hope and after he “retired”. These included a candy store in Providence, RI called “Sweet Creations” and his love for birds and the outdoors brought them to own two franchise locations of “Wild Birds Unlimited” in Warwick, RI and Seekonk, MA.

Paul was an avid boater for most of his life and loved both the ocean and fresh water.

In the early 1970’s, he joined the Rhode Island Yacht Club and was voted to the Board of Directors as the Treasurer in his first year. With great success in what he did, he later became the Rear Commodore.

After truly retiring from a very lengthy business life, Paul and Anna moved to Lady’s Island, a beautiful area of Beaufort, SC and enjoyed making many close friends and lived a very social life. After almost a decade, they both wanted to move back up to New England to be closer to their growing family and just this past fall, they moved to Belchertown, MA.

Unfortunately, after this last move, his health declined but always remained positive he would rebound and had many great plans. His ailments did not stop him from enjoying time with his wife Anna and family visits right up to Christmas. It was the next day that it was felt a hospital visit was needed and less than a day later he would leave us.

Paul’s life was a very full one, with many great accomplishments. He wasn’t just a businessman; he volunteered and gave his time and money to many charities and would help anyone in need. Some of the places he volunteered includes The American Red Cross, The Audubon Society of Rhode Island, and The United Way. Paul was also a Court appointed child advocate and helped troubled families and their children in a delicate time. His dedication to charitable work inspired each of his children to be of service to others and they will continue to carry on this tradition in many ways.

This obituary only scratches the surface of who he was. There are countless stories and memories his family and friends could tell you.

He will be painfully missed by us all, but he will live on forever in our minds and hearts and by the impact he had on us all. He will be well known to generations yet to come.

We all love you Dad, rest in peace till we meet again.

Relatives and friends are invited to attend a Mass of Christian Burial for Paul on Saturday January 13^th, 2024, at 10am in St. Margaret Mary Church, 845 High St., Westwood, MA. Interment following the Mass at Old Westwood Cemetery.