Paul Holliday

PAUL JAMES HOLLIDAY Windsor Heights Paul James Holliday passed away peacefully at Taylor House Hospice on July 25, 2017. Honoring his wishes, cremation rites have been accorded with a private interment to be held at Woodland Cemetery in Toledo, Iowa. A Celebration of Life will be held Saturday, Aug. 5, at the Merle Hay Funeral Home, Des Moines. Visitation will be held from 1:30 to 3 p.m. with the service to follow at 3 p.m. Paul was born to R.L. and Lucy Holliday on Sept. 28, 1932, in Cherokee, Iowa. Paul graduated high school in Shellsburg in 1950 and graduated with a B.A. in marketing from Iowa State Teachers College (UNI) in Cedar Falls. Paul was a U.S. Army veteran, having served his country in Korea. In 1951, Paul married the love of his life, Mildred McNamee. They settled in Vinton to raise their two children, Jennifer and Scott. Paul and Mildred were married for 58 years until her passing in 2010. Paul had a successful career primarily in sales and marketing spanning over 43 years. Paul's early career included Clay Equipment, Hawk Built and Fletcher and Associates. He also owned and operated two restaurants in Vinton, the Coach House and the Apple Inn. In 1985, Paul joined the Des Moines Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB). He retired in 1996 as director of sales and marketing and continued to act as a consultant to the CVB for several years to follow. Never one to be without something to do, Paul found his perfect retirement job at Glen Oaks Golf and Country Club, serving in several positions with player services for 18 seasons until July 2017. Throughout his life, music remained one of Paul's passions. He added his solid baritone voice to the barbershop chorus groups in Cedar Rapids and St. Joseph, Mo. He also sang professionally, traveling the country with an award-winning championship barbershop quartet, the Mid Continentals. Paul's greatest enjoyment was singing with his wife, Mildred. Together, they sang duets at many events for family and friends. Paul had an outgoing personality and a passion for every task he undertook. He always used his keen sense of humor to make people laugh. Paul will always be remembered not only as someone who enjoys being around people, but someone who people enjoy being around. Paul is survived by his daughter, Jennifer Holliday Chatman (Joe) of Clive; son, Scott Holliday (Dani); grandchildren, Paul and Julia of West Des Moines; and sisters, Lois Kray of Vinton and Ruth Anne (Gary) Denker of Cedar Rapids. Paul was preceded in death by his wife, Mildred; brother, Robert Holliday; and parents, R.L. Holliday and Lucy Holliday. The family would like to thank the professionals at UnityPoint Hospice and Taylor House Hospice for their compassionate care and support.