Paul Edward Kisner's Obituary
đ Paul Edward Kisner, a loving and dedicated husband, a responsible father and an accomplished professional, passed away on March 10, 2024 in San Diego, California. He was born on September 7, 1939 in Wichita, Kansas (Sedgwick County).
â¤ď¸Louis Earl and Florence, parents of Paul, own a large farm of vegetables and fruits at their place in South Seneca, Wichita, Kansas. It is a small town with a 2-lane highway. The farm was the source of income for the family raising 6 children. Paul was the watchman of the business. His father allowed him to stay on top of the tree and he built him a treehouse so he can watch people if they were stealing. Paul would then report to his father, who owned a shotgun. They also have lots of dogs to help secure their business. Paul, being a mischievous kid, enjoyed throwing rotten fruits at people driving by. The other source of income is Paulâs father working night shifts at a University nearby as a custodian and security guard. Of course, Paul always wanted to go with his dad.
đAt this University, while Paulâs dad was busy doing his job, Paul helped him mopped the floor and, at the same time, used the mop handle like a mic stand and just start singing. He would borrow his dadâs gun and act like heâs a security guard. But his favorite part of the University is the library. Paul was amazed at all the books and thoroughly enjoyed reading any book he can put his hands on. He was very keen on learning and getting educated. Thatâs one of the reasons why heâs so intelligent and full of information. I call him my walking dictionary here in the USA and my sister Ate Anzh when I was still in the Philippines. I was never offended when he corrected me with my pronunciation and grammar. He used a lot of grand and eloquent words and I learned so much from him. I have all these highfalutin words I have learned from him in my notes app.
â¤ď¸During his childhood, he was placed, including his 3 older brothers, at Wichita Childrenâs Home when his mother died during the birth of Paulâs sister. The church made the decision to save the baby and not the mother. This is the reason why Paulâs father refused to practice the religion that he used to believe. And so did Paul. When the 2 younger sisters were born, government âbusy bodiesâ ( words Paul learned from his father) decided to give them up for adoption because âit was not good living in a house with all boys. Another reason why Paulâs father dislike the church and government because Earl cannot make his own decision to keep his own daughters.
đPaul and his brothers were in and out of the childrenâs homes because they would escape and go back to their own home and the authorities from the childrenâs home would take them back.
â¤ď¸During his childhood, Paul showed interest in music. He loved playing the guitar and singing. He was self taught in both. Paulâs uncle polished his ability to play the guitar.
đPaul went to Haysville Unified School in Kansas. Paulâs ability to play the guitar and sing made him popular in school. His female teacher would always take him around to sing in front of an audience. When I asked Paul, Iâm sure the teacher was lucky to have you to show off your talent. Paul, teary eyed, paused and told me, âsheâs so special, i donât understand the feeling and I got so close to her that I was always looking forward to her picking me up at my dadâs house. Maybe thatâs how it feels to have a mother.â It was one of our very serious conversation.
â¤ď¸Paulâs grandmother, Grandma Elsie, upon knowing that he was just singing for free, kept track and made sure everyone who watched him sing, pay. Paul just told me, âI give all the money I earned from singing to my father and he was grateful and proud of me already earning money at a very young age.â I even told him, if there was AGT (Americaâs Got Talent) at that time, you would be popular as a singer! The teacher ran out of places to take him so she contacted a place and became a regular guest at KFWB radio station in Kansas.
đAside from singing, as a boy, Paul worked at Sandy Beach but not for money. Almost everyday, Paul would be outside the beach, looking through the fence lol, just enjoying the site of the beach. One day, the owner of the beach saw Paul and called him. She offered him a job to pick up any trash he sees in the beach area, and, in return, he has a free pass going in and out of this paid beach to enter. He was so excited and was really good at it. He would tell the customers to not throw any trash and would say it loud enough for other people to hear - hoping they wonât make a mess again. Katherine Stuffer, owner of Sandy Beach was so happy of Paulâs service that she would invite Paul to her own house to have dinner with them. This is where Paul learned how to swim and dive perfectly - from the very top of the telephone pole where a diving board was made. He would call Katherineâs son, âStuffy Stufferâ and he was responsible for his perfect dive from up high down to the sea. âNo big splash at all.
I can go on and on with all the details of his life experience - as a waiter at Tam O Shanter as well as sing and entertain the customers. He was also a runaway kid and his reason was, âoh well all my brothers ran away from home and I was alone with dad, so I did it.â He used a different name, bump up his age so he can work.
â¤ď¸MaryLynne, one of Paulâs daughters from a previous marriage to Theresa, confirmed this just few days ago during a private viewing here at Greenwood. Shantel was kind enough to make this happen for us in the middle of her busy schedule. MaryLynne mentioned that when her mother first met Paul, he told her his name was Bob. She knew his real name by the time they got married. Lol.
đAt the early stages of him being a runaway kid, it was very hard for him.
Paul said, âI was always hungry so to save money on food, I would buy a cup of soup on good days when Iâm making extra a bowl then I would put a lot of crackers so it would last long and made me full. The waiters, especially the waitress, already knew me and would give me a bunch of crackers. Later on, he followed the footsteps of his brothers who all joined in the military.
â¤ď¸Paul served four years in the United States Marines, demonstrating unwavering dedication to his country. His commitment to duty and honor shaped his character throughout his life. After his military service, Paul pursued a career as an ergonomic engineer in the plastics industry and became the provider of the ergonomic soft cushion handles for precision tools. He introduced his invention to one of the worldâs top manufacturers in the tool industry such as EREM in Switzerland, became good friends with the owner, Roland M and riding helicopters together to conduct business. Paul also supplied his ergonomic foam cushion grip handles to Cooper Tools here in USA.
đPaul was a devoted husband to Alexa Paylado-Kisner. Their love and devotion to each other were evident to all who knew them. Together, they created a life filled with cherished memories and shared dreams together with Tundra, 2 year USA champion in AKC agility. Sky, Alika, Tundra Femme Faye and Charlie also joined our family. The last 2 joined Paul and me when we submitted a video audition for AGT. We qualified and moved on to the next round on Jan 10 of this year via virtual audition. Then we moved on to the next round last Feb 4 and they wanted to see us in person at the Pasadena Theatre. It was raining so hard and we were there for almost 6 hours. I wanted to go home because I was worried Paul would not be able to handle all the noises, the crowd and just moving from one building to another just to record us for their AGT commercial this season 19. My main goal is for Paul to fulfill his dream when he was a kid as a singer. I would love for him to feel complete as I know he loves to sing. That night, I was giving up because of the heavy rain and I was worried Paul wonât be able to handle it. I told Paul, âhoney, I am so sorry, I did my best. I am just worn out.â I thought we will just be there to perform and then leave. I had a headache. Paul looked at me and, surprisingly encouraged me to continue. Usually, he is not patient with anything that involves waiting. Then I heard him whisper to me, âhoney, The Show Must Go On.â Thanks to Matt for helping us with moving all the props for our presentation.
â¤ď¸On Feb 25, the final performance and performing in front of the celebrity judges and a chance to win $1 million, he was already admitted in the hospital in the ICU fighting for his life.âŚ. I was just glad that he joined. For me, he was already a WINNER.
đâ¤ď¸Paul, honey, how will I sing when youâre gone? It wonât sound the same. Who will join in on those harmony parts and when I call your name? When Iâm out on the stage all alone and the music beginsâŚ..
Whatâs your fondest memory of Paul?
Whatâs a lesson you learned from Paul?
Share a story where Paul's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Paul youâll never forget.
How did Paul make you smile?
