Honoring the life of Paul Edgar Titus, a World War II veteran

 

“How lucky can a guy get!” is what PT – Paul Edgar Titus – used to say whenever he talked about his family. He was so very proud of his only child, Sandie; grandchildren, Paul, Kathy, and Dave; great-grandchildren, Jessica, Alyssa, Ryan; Isabella, Matthew; and Georgia.

 

The family was very important to PT and he often expressed it to each of us – including me, America’s former enemy’s daughter.  PT had an innate understanding that, in all human activities and relations, “Words mean something.”

 

PT came into our lives when our son, Jesse Edgar McKendry, married PT’s only granddaughter, Kathryn Joy Nelson, in 1994. She was the apple of his eye.  PT liked to call her, “Tiger.” He later called all four of his great-granddaughters the same with equal affection.  And, of course, he adored his two great-grandsons.  He loved to teach all of them how to fish.  Over the years, every summer, many of us in the extended family enjoyed the time together at his cottage at Crystal Lake in Crystal, Michigan.

 

He extended his love of family even to my brother, Eiichi, whom he met briefly at the wedding in 1994. Because Eiichi lives in Japan, PT asked me often how he was doing. He was always interested to know more about my brother – as if he were his own, long-lost son. In September 2011, when Eiichi visited the United States with his long-time friend, Hiroko-san, we all traveled together (pictured below) in Michigan and Ohio.  One of our stops, of course, was PT’s cottage. As usual, we all had a wonderful time as one big family. At one point, when he was about to formally express his gratitude to PT for his hospitality, Eiichi was overcome by emotions and broke down. That early autumn, my brother understood why I loved living in the United States so much – surrounded by those who genuinely love and care for each other.

 

To me, PT was someone who embodied the image of America that I held as a child in Japan – and much, much more: a caring man who loved his wife of 57 years, Catherine (who died in 1998), and family; an independent thinker; and a business owner.

 

For quite some time, I wanted PT to write his autobiography. Like so many of those whom Tom Brokaw called, “The Greatest Generation,” PT never took himself too seriously. He did not seem to appreciate enough how valuable his own experiences would be to share with the future generations of Americans. I wanted him to write, in his own words, what it was like growing up during the Depression, joining Navy during WWII, and eventually becoming a successful home builder.

 

Based on his own experience as a business owner, he was very concerned about the direction in which the U.S. was headed as a nation. He often mentioned how, over time, running a business became progressively difficult in his own country due to ever-increasing government regulations. He saw it as a gradual loss of freedom of enterprise – which is the basis of entrepreneurialism, the foundation of what made the United States a wealthy country. Like many of us, PT was also deeply concerned about the unfathomable size of the national debt and its eventual and dire consequences with which his grandchildren and great-grandchildren are bound to have to cope. He and I often agreed that without financial freedom, there is no individual freedom; and that declining national wealth of the United States puts at risk freedom of man around the world.  Then, out of the blue, he often concluded his remarks with, “Who cares what I think?” Well, I did – a lot.  I will miss the endless flow of wisdom that was stored in his brain, which remained sharp even toward the very end.  Here is a sample of what he talked about when I interviewed him.  Please make sure to have the sound on.  It is 8 minutes of treasure, thanks to today’s technology: PT Interview, July 2012.

 

Sandie informed me that PT finished the draft of his autobiography just before he died – and that he was able to give a copy to Betty, his only surviving sibling with whom he did not have contact for decades. That news brought tears to my eyes.  He finally did listen to what Sandie and I were pleading with him for years.  At the very end of his life, he made me even more proud of him than ever.  He was one very special World War II veteran who understood that, in a world where people can enjoy freedom, each individual is given the choice to love or hate another human being. He chose to love even his former enemy’s children (my brother and me) – as if we were his own.  Needless to say, he meant the world to me.  How lucky can a girl get – to have had a surrogate American father like PT!

 

p.s. Here is David’s tribute to PT, entitled, “The Traveler.”  He posted it the day PT passed away. I loved reading it. I think you will, too.  Enjoy.

 

p.p.s. Pictures can be enlarged by clicking on each.