Paul Galeese

Paul D. Galeese, age 98, passed away on December 1, 2016. Born to James and Carrie Zimmerman Galeese on May 16, 1918, Paul held the distinction of being the third baby born at Middletown Hospital. Paul attended Holy Trinity School, Roosevelt Junior High and was a graduate of the 1936 class at Middletown H.S. He continued his studies at the University of Cincinnati, Capital University, and Cornell University.

Paul was devoted to his wife Sara, his high school sweetheart, whom he married at Holy Trinity Church on June 14, 1941. They celebrated their 73rd wedding anniversary before Sara's death in 2015. Paul enlisted in the Army Air Corps in December 1942 and earned his wings in June 1944 in Pampa, TX. His assignment was to Big Springs, TX where he served as a pilot for bombardiers in training. After the war, Paul returned to Middletown and started his working career. Paul liked to tell stories about his first venture into the business world when he was a young boy and passed papers to the Middletown captains of industry who resided on South Main Street. Years later, he would have a working relationship with many of these same people.

While most Middletonians would remember Paul as the Manager of the Manchester Hotel (later named the Manchester Inn), he held several career positions with Armco. Prior to WWII, Paul started in the Open Hearth Office. After the war, Paul transferred to Industrial Relations and became the Director of Activities at Armco East Works. He was involved with many of the family activities that distinguished Armco as a community leader, including the Saturday morning "Kiddie Show" at the Paramount Theater and the annual company extravaganza at LeSourdsville Lake. In addition, he oversaw the Armco war vets baseball team and the company's golf tournaments. His experience as an Air Corps pilot landed him his next opportunity as a corporate pilot for Armco. It was then that he flew many of the same Armco South Main residents he knew from his paper passing days on their missions around the country.

In 1953, Paul became assistant manager of the Armco owned landmark Manchester Hotel and General Manager the following year—a position he held until he retired in 1981. During that tenure, he oversaw a prosperous hospitality and Trading Post restaurant business. He treated everyone with respect and made sure their time at the Manchester was a great experience. This included everyone from John F. Kennedy who had a political campaign brunch for a 1, 000 people in the ballroom to the local high school prom dances and wedding receptions of many Middletown residents. Paul was active both in the Ohio Hotel Association and the American Hotel and Motel Association, serving both organizations as their president. In 1972, it was quite an achievement for a person who managed a 100 room property to become president of his national trade organization and to work closely with the Hiltons and other owners of the Westin Hotels and Rockefeller Resorts. He served on the advisory Board for the Hotel and Restaurant Management School at Ashland College in Ashland, OH and also as Director of both the Ohio Valley Harness Racing Association and The Jug—another Middletown landmark. Paul believed in giving back to the community and served Middletown and local groups in many volunteer capacities. He was a member of the Rotary Club, the American Legion, Chamber of Commerce, President and Director of Middletown Enterprises Inc. and President of the Middletown Cotillion. Locally, he was a longtime member of St. Mary's Parish, Holy Family Parish, and Our Lady of Sorrows Parish. He was also a member of St Jude's Parish in Tequesta, FL. Paul enjoyed playing golf and gin rummy at Wildwood Golf Club and served as their president. He and his wife Sara were active golf members at Turtle Creek Golf Club in Tequesta, FL where they resided during the winters following his retirement. Paul loved following all sports—college and professional. For many years, he and his wife enjoyed season tickets to the Cincinnati Reds games and the Miami University football games. He followed the stock market religiously on the television business stations and was an avid reader of the Wall Street Journal, Barrons, and Value Line.

Paul was predeceased by his wife Sara Lawler Galeese and is survived by his daughters Sharon (Robert) Touchton of Maineville, Betsy Dougherty of Naperville, IL and Janet (Carl) Leveridge of Stuart, FL and his grandchildren Bruce Touchton, Sara Danno (Joseph), Kate Rogers (Zac) and great grandchildren Eleanor Danno, Alice Danno, and Beau Rogers.

Always a gentleman, he lived his life by the adage he often quoted, "It doesn't cost anything to be nice to people."

Funeral services are private and are being handled by Wilson Schramm Spaulding.

Funeral Home:
Wilson-Schramm-Spaulding
3805 Roosevelt Blvd.
Middletown, OH
US 45044