Paul Richard Compton

Paul Richard Compton, 83, of Franklin died peacefully at his home on February 12.

Born October 12, 1942, in North Attleboro, the son of the late Melvin S. and Margaretta (Greene) Compton, Paul was raised in West Medway and moved to Franklin at age 15. He graduated from Franklin High School in 1960.

As a young boy, Paul survived a severe bout of meningitis during a local outbreak, spending weeks at Boston Floating Hospital. Those who knew him understood that resilience was part of who he was.

After high school, Paul founded C&W Horse Transport Company, hauling racehorses across the Northeast and to tracks in the South and West, and eventually overseas.

He made himself available when others were not, and that is how he earned the work. Paul later became owner and operator of Compton Sprinkler Company, installing fire protection systems for businesses and institutions throughout Southeast New England for many years.

If someone called, he came. That resilience, forged early in life, shaped the kind of worker he became. Day or night, if something needed attention, he pulled on his boots and went.

But being a hardworking and dependable business owner was only part of the story.

Paul carried an older kind of knowledge - practical, wide-ranging, and learned by doing. He did not follow conventional paths; he figured out his own. At nineteen, attending a house auction on West Central Street, he purchased a structure slated for demolition to make way for Interstate 495 - for $500 and without a clear plan. He found land, poured a foundation, and had the entire house moved half a mile. That first project led to several more historic relocations. Today, the neighborhood near Pond Street and Overlook Drive quietly bears his imprint; homes that appear centuries old arrived there by truck within the last few decades.

He restored antique kerosene and whale oil lamps, rebuilt hit-and-miss engines, ran printing presses, and hatched poultry and pigeons. He frequented flea markets and auctions, collected stamps, and eventually expanded into house cleanouts - efforts that usually brought profit even where others saw only "trash." He was known to pull over for any yard sale or scrap pile that caught his eye; he simply could not ignore useful things being thrown away.

His reverence for craftsmanship extended to larger projects. He restored the circa-1843 Arcade Building in Blackstone, Massachusetts - a granite block structure sometimes described as the town's first "shopping mall." For that work, he was recognized by the Blackstone Historical Society.

Though rooted in Franklin, he traveled widely across the United States, Europe, and the Near East, most recently visiting Poland. Much of what he built still stands. He would say there is always something worth saving.

Paul is survived by his sisters, Diane J. Compton and Melanie J. Compton of Franklin. He was the brother of the late David B. Compton and Todd J. Compton.

Services will be held at a later date in warmer weather.

Arrangements are under the care of the Ginley Funeral Home of Franklin (ginleyfuneralhomes.com).