A man of the deepest faith, Paul W. McChesney, age 81, of Edison, was welcomed into Heaven by the loving, open armsof the Lord on Sunday morning, August 17, 2014, at home on the family farm from a brief illness.
On December 2, 1932, Paul was born in Marion, Ohio, the youngest of two children of the late Clarence and Pauline (Huffman) McChesney. He was raised and worked on the family farm in Claridon, where he also graduated from Claridon High School in the Class of 1950.
When Paul was 16 years old, while attending the Camp Sychar Church Camp in Mount Vernon, he met his wife to be, Marjory Dearth, whose family was from Marion. From that day forward, their love for one another continued to blossom and grow, and they were married on February 14, 1953, at the Greenwood United Methodist Church in Marion, shortly after she graduated high school. During their 61 years of marriage, they have been by each other’s side every step of the way.
Born to be a farmer, Paul followed in the footsteps of his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather proudly carrying on their family name and their family farm. In 1960, Paul and Marjory bought a farm in Edison where he and his son’s could work together and care for the dairy farm there. After 18 years of working from dusk until dawn with the dairy cattle, and after his sons all left for college in 1978, Paul sold his cattle and transitioned McChesney Farms Inc. to veal production and grain farming. In the following years the business grew to include grain production, hogs, and an equipment dealership. In 2006 Paul proudly handed them the keys to the operation to his sons fully believing in them. Until the day he entered Heaven, Paul served as McChesney Farms Inc. most trusted advisor. Paul loved the Lord, his family, and the land and animals under his care. Paul, a very humble man, was proud to see the family business continue with his sons and grandsons operating the farm. He had also been a member of the Morrow County Farm Bureau and the Morrow County Dairy Association.
Dedicating his life to the Lord, Paul was a lifelong member of the Marion Salem United Methodist Church. An “obedient, faithful, servant,” Paul never wanted credit for anything he had done. Rather, what was most important to him, was sharing his faith and love for the Lord and leading as many to Him as possible.
Believing in the need and importance of spreading the word and gospel of the Lord, Paul had a passion for missions. This passion led him to invest in a mission project in Brazil, where he helped develop a farm to provide credibility and opportunity for the missionaries working there. He and Marjory loved visiting their farm in Brazil, offering their love, support, and wisdom to help the many seeds being planted for the Lord to grow. He learned of this project while serving as a member of Men for Mission’s International. He also was a member of Gideon’s International, Morrow County Chapter.
Sharing a love for travel, Paul and Marjory enjoyed countless trips to far away places, such as Hawaii, New Zealand, Ecuador, and Haiti. Most of their trips were made for their mission work, with both of them sharing a special love for the work they did in Haiti.
Second only to the Lord was his family. He cherished every moment with his beloved wife, children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He loved whenever they would come home to “the farm,” which was the family’s favorite meeting place. Further, he proudly honored his vows to his wife, Marjory, being there for her “in sickness and in health,” just like he promised her he would.
Truly, Paul was one of the most “Godly” and “God like” men you could ever know. He was a simple farmer from Morrow County, who lived a life of honor, dignity and integrity, and made the world a much better place.
He will be dearly missed by his wife, Marjory McChesney of Edison; five children: Steve (Phyllis) McChesney of Mount Gilead, Bruce (Conni) McChesney, Phil (Sheila) McChesney, both of Cardington, Brenda “Susie” (Dave) Harvey of Crown Point, Indiana, and Melinda “Mindy” (Scott) Lerman of West Nyack, New York; 15 grandchildren: Andrea (Josh) Chase, Dara (Ben) Harriger, Nicholas (Jodi) McChesney, Ryan (Leslie) McChesney, Lyndsay (Andy) Wyeth, Christopher (fiancé Jocelyn Walker) McChesney, Justin (Amy) McChesney, Breanne (Tyler) Wall, Andrew McChesney, Alyssa, Emily and Kyle Harvey, and Luke, Alex and Eva Lerman; 9 great-grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.
Including his parents, Paul was preceded in death by his sister and brother-in-law, Hazel (Joe) Weisseise.
His family will greet friends from 3 – 7 p.m. on Friday, August 22nd, at the Marion Salem United Methodist Church, 1640 Salem Rd., Caledonia, OH. Services honoring his life will also be held there at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, with Pastors James Van Meter and Tom Scott officiating. Burial will follow by the church in Salem Cemetery.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Marion Salem United Methodist Church (address above), to help with their missions efforts.
Snyder Funeral Homes of Mount Gilead are honored to have been chosen to serve Paul’s family and your condolences may be expressed to them by visiting www.SnyderFuneralHomes.com.
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