Paul Haymond Obituary 1944-2019

Paul in the 1980s. Photo by Bill Higgins.

Paul Arnett Haymond was born in Salem, Oregon on September 28, 1944, more than two months after his father, Guy Arnett Haymond, was killed in the Battle of Normandy. His mother, Evelyn Hester Kearns, later remarried and had three more children.

Paul graduated from North Salem High in 1962. In 1968, he took a four-month motorcycle ride across the Lower 48. He ended up in New York, first in Rockland County, then Queens, and finally in Staten Island. He stayed on Staten Island for the rest of his life, with the exception of three years in the late 70s when he worked in Oregon and spent time with his siblings. Paul was a devoted brother and father figure to his much younger sisters, Janine and Jill. He even chose Janine’s name. 

He was a loyal friend and helper to many, an atheist who lived the Golden Rule better than many religious people. Paul was, in the words of one friend, the guy you called when your car broke down at two in the morning on the Staten Island Expressway. Children were important to him: he never talked down to them and always treated them like people who were worthy of respect, attention, and kindness. His later years were brightened by the loving presence of Denise Miller, who helped him through various ailments and was with him till the last.

Paul was fascinated by the world, and his main interests were music and motor vehicles. He raced cars and once owned a Lotus. For several years, he drove a forklift expertly at Sun Chemical. He could play any wind instrument from any era, from shawms and krummhorns and recorders to the trombone; he also played string bass. Keyboards were his greatest strength. He was a classical pianist, mastering the Beethoven piano sonatas in his teens, and he studied organ with John Hamilton at University of Oregon for three years (he later studied at Richmond College). Harpsichord studies with Ed Smith of New York Pro Musica were a point of pride with him, and his knowledge of Baroque style was deep and precise. He was part of the Early Music program at Wagner College from its inceptionwas a music director for musical theater groups. He also played for dance groups and  Paul was a church organist by the time he was a teenager and continued to serve in a variety of churches, from Catholic to Episcopal to Baptist and many more, all over NYC and in New Jersey, until his last days, and also worked in the office of the American Guild of Organists in the mid-1980s. He made connections with cantors at synagogues and knew every style of music used in worship. He played and repaired pipe organs throughout the NYC area when he worked with Austin Organs, building a vast knowledge of the instruments and their repertoire.

Paul played his final church service at Immanuel Union Church, Staten Island, on July 7 and went into the hospital the following Tuesday. He died of metastasized bladder cancer on August 4, 2019 at Staten Island Care Center, after a final visit with Janine. Burial arrangements are private.

Paul is survived by his significant other, Denise Miller; his siblings, Charles Vetter, Jill Vetter-Espe, and Janine (formerly Goodwin) O’Del, and his brother-in-law, Matt Goodwin, all in Oregon; and many friends who remember him with love and gratitude. 

To honor his memory, give to a musical organization or listen respectfully to a child.

For another page about Paul, written by him seven years ago, see http://nshsclassof1962.com/ClassmatePages/PHaymond.html

Please feel free to post a memory of Paul (or a correction) in the comments. Comments are moderated.