Obituary of Paul Irvin Musgrave

PAUL IRVIN MUSGRAVE (age 84) passed away on May 6, 2018. Born June 17, 1933, he was the last surviving third and oldest son of six siblings born to Nelson & Madge (Wilks) Musgrave in the small farming town of Harris, Missouri. Nelson nicknamed him "Sunny" for his ever present smile and it stuck with him through high school.

It was a hard life during the depression, but theirs was a self-sustaining farm providing all the practical needs with no luxuries. Paul grew up strong in body and integrity under an ever-present moral "word and hand shake is my bond" example set by his father, whom he respected and loved deeply. The few occasions Paul was free from working long, hard hours from dawn to dark on the 400 acre farm (which he and his father built from the original sharecropper plot), were spent reading, drawing or riding horses. They bred their own strain of beef cattle which won Paul honors at the county fair. But there was much more ... raising 200+ head of sheep for meat and shearing as well as a large number of pigs for market. As the last farm in the county using a matched team of work horses and plow, his father finally bought an old tractor much to Paul's relief.

Paul joined the Air Force (June 13, 1952 - June 12, 1956) right out of high school. He wanted to be an Air Force pilot but was unable to do so due to slight color blindness. He was told he could have any other position he wanted but didn't care at that point. Paul was then assigned to serve as Aircraft Mechanic, 8th Fighter Bomber Wing, 35th Fighter Bomber Squadron in Suwon, Korea. He served his last 3 months in the service as an Aircraft Mechanic at Tyndall Air Force Base, Panama City, FL. It is at that time that he purchased a PT19 which he rebuilt and painted, spending every moment he could in the sky. There were many extraordinary stories to tell from that era!!!

He went on to University of Missouri, using the G.I. Bill along with side jobs to earn his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering.

After graduating from U of M in January 27, 1962, Paul accepted a position at Pratt & Whitney Aircraft turning down numerous offers from competitive aerospace industries. His respect for his military comrades wearing P&W rings greatly influenced his decision. He moved quickly through the ranks into management and on to Treasury Level during his 25+ year career representing P&W including assignments in Europe and Asia; the development of the original Boeing 747 from inception to roll out was Paul's favorite assignment.

It was in Seattle where he married his soul mate and forever love, Pearl. Eventually they settled in Glastonbury where they spent the rest of their lives together.

In his "can do" manner and ability, he rebuilt the home he and his love moved into, in addition to clearing and grading the overgrown brambles and vines that engulfed their 4+ acres the hard way, the Musgrave way, with a pick, ax, and chain saw! This resulted into a lovely gardened park to share quietly with his love of 47 years.  A dear, close friend and Head of Propulsion at Boeing, referred to him as a "Cerebral Renaissance Man" interested and extremely capable in everything - from bridge and chess to writing beautiful poetry and pros; he was an insatiable reader..

Paul is survived by his wife, Pearl. 

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to: The River Church, P.O. Box 104, Glastonbury, CT 06033.