Obituary of Paul L Hersom

Paul Hersom of Burlington, died peacefully, March 28^th, whispering “I love you” to his wife and his God, with his family by his side. Paul succumbed to his long-fought battle with pancreatic cancer.  He lived a long and blessed life, and his greatest blessing was his beloved wife of 56 years, Margaret “Peggy” Hersom (nee Maloney) of Brighton.  His enduring romance with Peg began with a serendipitous blind date.

Paul was born in Waltham MA, the second son of the late Edith and Rosco Hersom.  He graduated from Waltham High, Class of 1962, and attended Northeastern University. Paul was predeceased by his dear brother, Edmund Hersom of Marlboro.

Paul and Peggy settled in Burlington to raise their 5 children. He is survived by Michael Hersom of Bangor, ME, Dawn MacDonald and her husband Kevin of Watertown, Peter Hersom and his wife Gloria, of North Andover, Jessica Wightman of Malden, and Daniel Hersom and his wife Amy of Bourne. Twelve grandchildren, ranging in age from 23-3, called him Papa. Caleb, Luke, Cameron, Clara, Andrew, Jackson, Abigail, Annabelle, Eva, Scarlett, Gabriel, and Lily.

Paul proudly worked for the US Dept of Defense throughout his 33-year career and retired from the Army Corps of Engineers as a park ranger and flood control technician in NH. The Hopkinton Dam safeguarded communities like Manchester, Nashua, Haverhill, Lowell, and Lawrence, from flooding in the Merrimack River Basin.

Paul trusted in Jesus alone as his Savior who lived, died, and rose again for his salvation, as the Bible teaches. For many years, he worshiped and studied Scripture with other believers at the Church of the Open Bible in Burlington. We rejoice that he is now home with his Savior.

Paul’s greatest treasure was his family, and he demonstrated key values through his devotion to them. Love of God and country, pursuit of excellence, commitment to responsibility, love for the great outdoors, sports challenges, and nature exploration continue through his children and grandchildren. Paul’s thorough attention to detail, mastery of numbers and budgeting, mechanical inclination, and deep knowledge fueled his creativity to problem solve, fix almost anything, and provide his family with all the opportunities possible. Paul’s wit and humor was matched only by Peggy’s, and helped the family learn to approach life with levity and gratitude. Paul was exceedingly safety conscious. Paul was notably objective and unprejudiced. He encouraged his daughters and sons equally to pursue their individual passions and strengths and taught them to respect and value all people. When the busyness of life and family became overwhelming, Paul would retreat into his office to “work on paperwork”, a chore he understood and could control swiftly, and escape into the world of numbers and math, and future plans and goals. His only regret was not getting back into his office to complete his life’s work.

Paul was a car and boat enthusiast, took meticulous care of his vehicles, and often brought his children and grandchildren to car and boat shows, classic car and classic boat events, as well as waterski shows.

Many memories and family bonds were enriched by annual vacations, last-minute backyard barbeques and pool parties, and playing many types of sports. The family took a once in a lifetime vacation to Washington, DC,  Disney World in Florida, stopping in various states along the Atlantic to explore and visit family and friends. The rest of the adventures took place all around New England, skiing the slopes and trails in the winter, climbing mountains, visiting National parks, camping, and enjoying boating and water sports in the summer.

Paul and Peggy fulfilled their dream of owning a lake home to relax and enjoy lake living. Paul also achieved his dream of a owning a Malibu ski boat, the power of which he needed to get him up on slalom! Paul and Peggy learned, then taught all their children to slalom ski. Only one grandchild made it around the lake on skis, but all loved to ride the tubes at high speeds over big waves, fly off, and go again and again. The lake house was where the family gathered in the summers to swim, kayak, canoe, and paddleboard, sink the paddle boat, play “king of the hill” on kid island, tube, kneeboard and wakeboard behind the boat, roast marshmallows, and s’more’s, go for drives in Papa’s Mustang convertible, and continue all the traditions of exploring nature and history in New Hampshire and New England.

Dad, we’ll miss you in ways we don’t yet realize. And we promise not to accidentally shred any of your important papers. We hope Heaven has Excel.

Paul’s life will be celebrated on April 6^th at 10:30 AM at the Church of the Open Bible, 3 Winn Street, Burlington, MA  01803.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Paul’s memory to the Church of the Open Bible, or the Elder’s Mission Fund.