Paul Petrie passed away Oct. 26, 2020 after 91 years of adventure.
Paul was born in 1929 in Chicago to Ervin and Sally Petrie. During his childhood, the family summered at Browns Lake in Burlington on his grandfather’s property that was purchased in the late 1800’s. For several years, the Petrie family returned to a new apartment in Chicago each fall, but the Browns Lake property was later home to Paul and his family as well as Petrie’s Marina. Paul sold snacks, refreshments, boat fuel and rented boats and canoes to Browns Lake visitors. A lifelong Cubs fan, he was always sure to announce the Cub’s score over the PA system for the marina and public beach to hear!
Paul was a longtime advocate for Browns Lake. He was on the Browns Lake Advisory Committee for many years and always advocated for the health and welfare of his cherished lake. He was a founder of the Browns Lake Yacht Club in 1959 and enjoyed sailing in many regattas.
After attending Beloit College where he played football and majored in Geology, Paul joined the US Army during the Korean War. From 1951-1953, he was a US Army Corporal stationed in Japan and Korea. He received a commendation ribbon for Meritorious Service as an aerial photo interpreter. He considered his time in the military an overseas adventure, and he was a proud Korean War veteran throughout his life. In 2015, he enjoyed his day of honor and thanks with an Honor Flight to Washington D.C.
Once he returned from his service in Korea, Paul obtained his teaching certificate from the University of Wisconsin – Madison where he met his wife, Renate Grob.
Paul was a science teacher at many area schools, including the Northwestern Military and Naval Academy on Geneva Lake, Palmyra H.S., Waterford H.S., and Burlington H.S. He later decided to become a substitute teacher in the area for many years. He enjoyed imparting knowledge on a wide array of subjects to his students, family, and friends.
Paul and Renate married in 1955, and they have two children, Kim (Marc) Deriaz and Kurt (Julie) Petrie. As an avid outdoorsman, Paul enjoyed many activities with his family and friends including boating, sailing, deep sea fishing, hunting, snowmobiling, skiing, ice boating, and driving his 1946 Chevy Truck. He was also a graduate of the Sarasota College of Fishing and a Boating Safety and Snowmobile Safety instructor. When he was relaxing, he could be found watching Cubs games. He attended his last Cubs game at Wrigley Field in 2016 with his family and watched the Cubs go on to finally win the World Series that same year!
Paul also adored his dogs, mostly beagles, and any neighboring dog that needed a daytime companion.
He spent a lot of time with his family and passed on his many interests to his children and four grandchildren, Lauren and Andre Deriaz, and Austin and Ellie Petrie. His family will dearly miss him and his positive spirit, wonderful smile, and playful jokes.
At a later date, a private memorial service with military honors will be held at the Southern Wisconsin Veterans Cemetery. Memorial donations may be made to The Stars and Stripes Honor Flight of Milwaukee.
Schuette-Daniels Funeral is serving the family. Well-wishers may visit www.danielsfamilyfuneral.com.
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