Dr. Paul Wesley Schaper, 88, of Chesterfield, MO passed away on January 23, 2023 at his residence. He was born October 3, 1934 in Lincoln County (Troy) Missouri, son of Lawrence and Esther (nee Knipmeyer) Schaper.
He was educated in Elsberry, MO and went to college at Central Methodist, Fayette, MO and Greenville College, Greenville, IL. On September 1, 1956 he was married to Evangeline Porterfield. Paul received an MD from the University of Missouri in 1959 and completed a residency in General Surgery at Saint Louis County Hospital in Clayton, MO. He became a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and certified by the American Board of Surgeons. In 1964 he moved to the town of Benton in Marshall County, KY where he practiced general surgery at the local hospital for over 40 years until retiring at age 70.
Paul lived a life of love and service in both his community and abroad. As a devoted family man, he took great joy in spending time with his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. He was active in Benton Church of the Nazarene, the Gideons, youth sports coaching, and various committees. Upon retirement he was appointed to the hospital board and was instrumental in the selection of the location and construction of the current Marshall County Hospital. Paul took up golf late in life and became a regular at the Benton Country Club where he enjoyed the camaraderie of his friends. He enjoyed golf on holidays and annual Hilton Head vacations with his son, sons-in-law and grandsons.
In 1975 Paul and Evangeline began mission trips to Haiti, Swaziland, Kenya, and Zambia where he allowed surgeons at mission hospitals to take furloughs. These trips proved to be some of the most joyful, challenging and rewarding in his experience as a surgeon.
In 2017 Paul and Evangeline moved from their home in Kentucky to Friendship Village Chesterfield, MO (FVC) to be closer to their daughter Diane and family. He quickly became involved in the many activities at FVC where he loved the friendly banter and intellectual stimulation of his many new friends. Paul rarely missed Trivia night, where his exceptional memory was an asset. He joined the Creative Writing group where he was inspired to write his memoir, “Stories From My Journey” which was published in January 2023.
Paul is survived by his wife Evangeline, his sister Althea in Independence, KS, son Dr. Lawrence (Larry) and his wife Kim in Louisville, KY, daughter Diane and her husband Ned Mozier in St. Charles, MO, and daughter Julie and her husband Phil Shomo who live in Hilton Head, SC. He is also survived by eight grandchildren: Caitlin (nee Mozier) Yang, Jessica (nee Schaper) Finney, Luke Shomo, Hannah (nee Mozier) Grooms, Alex Schaper, Dylan Mozier, Caleb Shomo, and Austin Schaper, and 7 great grandchildren.
Services: A Memorial Service will be held at Friendship Village Chesterfield, 15201 Olive Blvd., Chesterfield, MO 63017 Saturday January 28th at 2:30 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Chaplain’s Fund c/o Friendship Village Chesterfield, 15201 Olive Blvd. Chesterfield MO 63017, Gideon’s Marshall County, P.O. Box 206, Benton, Ky 42025, or Salvation Army, 1130 Hampton Ave #3147, St. Louis, MO 63139. As a service of the SCHRADER Funeral Home and Crematory, friends may sign the family’s on-line guestbook at Schrader.com.