Paul Frederick Bluhm

Paul Frederick Bluhm

Paul Frederick Bluhm, age 79, of Mechanicsburg, and formerly of Omaha, NE, passed away on Saturday, January 8, 2022.  Paul was born on Tuesday, May 12, 1942, in Lancaster, NY to the late Wilfred Bluhm and Dorothy (Brown) Bluhm.

Paul’s survivors include his wife of 48 years, Nancy Jo (Smith) Bluhm; his two sons from his first marriage to Sonja (Ottenbacher) Bluhm: Christopher “Chris” P. Bluhm and wife, Wendy, of Renton, WA, Derin M. Bluhm and wife, Laurel, of Issaquah, WA; and his five grandchildren: Skyler, Alec, Haydn, Sara and Carson.

Paul graduated from Bishop Montgomery High School in Torrance, CA as part of the class of 1961 and in 1965 from Loyola University in Los Angeles, CA.  He entered the United States Air Force as a 2nd Lieutenant in 1965 and retired 20 years later as a Major after serving in Taiwan, the United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) Headquarters in Germany and various stateside bases including the Strategic Air Command (SAC) Headquarters at Offutt AFB, NE and the Rome Air Development Center in Rome, NY.  During his military career, Paul was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, Air Force Commendation Medal with one Oak Leaf Cluster; and the Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon with one Bronze Service Star in addition to various unit and organizational awards and medals.  He began his post-military career with several private companies from 1986 to 1992 as a computer systems analyst.  Paul finished his employment years with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania from 1992 until 2006 in various positions under the Governor’s Office of Administration.

Paul was a devoted servant of God and longtime member of Saint Joseph Catholic Church in Mechanicsburg.  He served numerous times as an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion and as co-leader, with his wife, of the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) program.  Paul enjoyed spending his leisure time working in the yard where he tended to both his flower and vegetable gardens.  A skilled craftsman, Paul liked to build bird houses and copper wire bonsai trees.

Paul applied his many years of military training and logistical skills in retirement in an ongoing game of “catch and release” of the many squirrels that enjoyed devising new methods of emptying the bird feeders of sunflower seeds meant for Paul’s many flying tenants.

All are welcome to join Paul’s family at his Mass of Christian burial on Friday, February 18, 2022, beginning at 10:00 a.m. at St. Joseph Catholic Church, 410 E. Simpson St., Mechanicsburg, PA 17055; with The Reverend Thomas J. Rozman celebrating. A committal service with full military honors will immediately follow the Mass in Indiantown Gap National Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in celebration of Paul’s life can be made to Central Pennsylvania Food Bank, 3908 Corey Road, Harrisburg, PA 17109, www.centralpafoodbank.org.

Paul’s family has entrusted his care to Buhrig Funeral Home & Crematory in Mechanicsburg, (717) 766-3421.  Read Paul’s full obituary, offer condolences and sympathy, share stories and memories, upload photographs and videos, light a candle and sign his official guest book by visiting Buhrig.com.