Paul D. Grossnickle
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Paul D. Grossnickle passed away
Friday, July 26, 2019, at 2:45 p.m. in
Miller’s Merry Manor in Warsaw.
He was born June 22,
1924, in North Manchester,
Ind., to Gorman and Lena
Grossnickle. He was the seventh
of seven children.
In 1944, he married Mary Jane
Stuckey. He and Jane had two sons:
Steve, living in Traverse City, Mich., and
Bruce, living in Sanibel, Fla. Paul’s wife Jane passed away in
2013.
The day after Paul graduated from North Manchester
High School in 1942, he joined the U.S. Navy. He was a
Grumman F6F Hellcat fighter pilot in the Pacific throughout
World War II. He served 20 years in the Navy as a pilot,
optometrist and in the Reserves.
He graduated from Manchester College and received his
doctor of optometry from Northern Illinois College of
Optometry. He and Jane moved to Warsaw in 1957, where
he practiced optometry for 48 years. Along with Steve and
Bruce, he formed the Grossnickle Eye Center in 1982. He
was a member of the American Optometric Association,
Indiana Optometric Association and North Central Indiana
Optometric Society. He was a past board member of the
United Way and the Kosciusko County YMCA, and was a
long-term member of the Warsaw Aviation Board.
He is survived by Steve and his wife, Lori, who have three
children: Brian, Eric and Katie; and by Bruce and his wife,
Jeanne, who have three children: David, Mark and Jaimie. He
has four great-grandchildren. He is also survived by his
companion of the last several years, Chris Bidwell.
Paul loved his job as an optometrist, but he also loved flying
airplanes and playing golf. He was always ready to try
something new, like the time he went skydiving for this 90th
birthday. He will be missed by everyone who was ever lucky
enough to know him.
No services are planned at this time, but a celebration of
life will be held in the future.
McHatton-Sadler Funeral Chapel, Warsaw, is entrusted
with arrangements.
*****
Donation’s in Paul’s memory to American Legion Post
#49, 301 N. Buffalo St., Warsaw, IN 46580; or United Way of
Kosciusko County, 119 E. Center St., A5, Warsaw, IN 46580.
To sign the register book or leave condolences electronically,
go to mchattonsadlerfuneralchapels.com.
