Northborough – Paul Hayes Gwin, 84, passed away peacefully on May 20 after a brief illness. He was born on April 13, 1940, to Paul and Adele Gwin in Little Rock, Arkansas. He was their much-loved only child.
Paul is survived by his beloved family: his wife of nearly 63 years, Rose; his daughter, Diane; his son-in-law, Ali Kara’a; and his two granddaughters, Katherine Kara’a and San Gwin-Kara’a.
Paul spent his early years in Arkansas, graduating from Central High School in Little Rock and Hendrix College in Conway, where he met his wife whom he married after their junior year. He earned a master’s degree in Instrumental Science from the Graduate Institute of Technology of the University of Arkansas in Little Rock.
Upon graduation, he and Rose moved to the Philadelphia area where Paul accepted a job with Honeywell. It was there they made their home for nearly 40 years. Paul worked for Greene-Tweed in Kulpsville, Pennsylvania, for over 30 years, retiring in 2004. He and Rose then moved to Marblehead, Massachusetts, to be near their daughter and her family, most especially their first- born grandchild. They were blessed with their second granddaughter two years later. Paul and Rose moved to Northborough in 2021 to share a home with their daughter and her family.
Paul took great pride in the accomplishments of his family, often proclaiming at the mention of his family that “God has been very, very good to me.”
Paul loved music and began singing with a quartet in high school. For most of his life, he sang in church choirs, and he also sang with a choral society in Pennsylvania. His love of classical music often conflicted with his wife’s and daughter’s appreciation of rock. Paul became an accomplished woodworker, building mostly Shaker reproductions. He was most proud of his pencil post bed and grandfather clock. Paul’s other passion was gardening, especially hybrid daylilies. Some of his most prized lilies were moved from Pennsylvania to Marblehead and then to Northborough where we now have a bed of “Marblehead Lilies.” This passion has been passed on to his daughter who now carries the torch of looking for the most beautiful and rare day lily.
Arrangements are under the care of Hays Funeral Home, 56 Main Street, Northborough.
The burial will be private at Howard Street Cemetery in Northborough. A memorial service is scheduled at “Paul’s church,” St. Stephen’s United Methodist Church, 67 Cornell Road, Marblehead, on June 15, at 10:30.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to St. Stephen’s United Methodist Church.
