Paul Franklin "Pete" Stiller

Paul Franklin "Pete" Stiller passed away peacefully on Palm Sunday, April 13, 2025 surrounded by family. He was preceded in death by his father, Paul Ferdinand Stiller (d. 1979), his mother, Caroline Adele "Sally" Leichliter Stiller (d. 1985), nephew Jon Paul Stiller (d. 1992), his brother David Stiller (d. 2014, Clarisse d. 2007), and most recently his wife, Joan Sheff Lipsitz (d. 2024). Paul is survived by his younger brother Roger (Donna), and three children; Susan Leslie Morrow (Phillip), Paul Franklin Stiller, Jr., (Lisa) and Beth Ann Stiller. Paul was the proud grandfather of seven grandchildren, Danít Evelyn Blackler (Prescott), Christopher Morrow, Hilary Morrow, Ethan Yeshaya (Bridget), Sofia Stiller, Isabel Morrow, Leila Yeshaya, and one great-granddaughter, Noelle Ruth Blackler. He is also survived by nieces and nephews Eric Stiller (Jenny), Braden Stiller, Michael Stiller (Laurel), Ann Stiller Nyenhuis (Dave), Tommy Bramel (Melonie), as well as many great nieces and nephews.

Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Paul grew up in Hempfield Township, lived in Spanish Villa and attended Pleasant Valley School (a two-room school with 6 grades) and Hempfield Junior High. Early in 1949 the family moved to Salado, Texas, where he finished that school year. That summer, they moved to Kerrville, Texas and then back to Keisterville, Pennsylvania, where he started the year in Uniontown High School. Later that fall the family moved to Greensburg, Pennsylvania where he attended Greensburg High School. In December, they moved to Gates Mills, Ohio, where Paul was enrolled in Mayfield Heights Schools for the remainder of the school year. The following summer, the family moved to Cleveland Heights, where Paul attended 9th grade at Roxboro Junior High and then Cleveland Heights High School, where he graduated in 1954. While at Heights High, Paul was part of the Heights Players Thespian Club under the direction of Dr. Dina Rees Evans. Heparticipated during the summers in the Cain Park Children's Theater, also directed by "Doc" Evans, where he learned several skills that would serve him throughout his life. Among them were fencing and an interest in puppetry, taught by Palmer Martin. During high school, Paul and a friend, James Kalish, started their own puppet theater that performed for children's parties. Between his junior and senior years, he was employed by the city of Cleveland Heights and assigned to Cain Park Theater, a professional summer theater that staged plays and musicals in a large outdoor amphitheater. He drove a pickup truck, gathering materials and performing other stage-related tasks.

Paul received an appointment to the Naval Academy from Representative Frances Payne Bolton from the 22nd Congressional District of Ohio, and entered the Academy on June 28, 1954. While at the Academy, he participated in the Antiphonal Choir, was president of the physics club, and was a 4-year epée letter on the varsity fencing team. He graduated from the Naval Academy on June 4, 1958 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering. He also received the Mac Short Award in aviation and was commissioned Ensign U.S. Navy. On April 25, 1959, he was married to Patricia Ann Riser (b. 1935). He proceeded to flight training at the Naval Air Station (NAS) in Pensacola, Florida, and received his Naval Aviator wings on February 1, 1960 at the NAS in Corpus Christi, Texas. Paul was then assigned to Patrol Squadron VP56, NAS Norfolk, Virginia where he flew the S2F then the P5M1 and last the P2V aircraft. While in Norfolk, Susan was born on June 28, 1961. After Susan was born, Paul was stationed at the NAS in Rota, Spain, where he was joined by his wife, Pat. Upon their return to the United States, Paul Jr. was born on March 14, 1963. Paul participated in the patrol and surveillance of Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis, locating and photographing the Soviet freighter Leninsky Komsomol leaving Cuba on October 23, 1962. His story about finding the Soviet freighter was published in the 50th Anniversary of the Oct-Nov issue of Air & Space Magazine. Paul left active duty in 1963 and joined Honeywell Ordnance Division in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he designed tests on munitions and missiles. Beth was born on October 20, 1964. In 1967, he joined Cornell's Aeronautical Laboratory (CALSPAN) in Buffalo, New York, where he continued to design weapons systems. He was transferred to medical instrumentation design and received a patent for a computer-based optical system to identify human blood cells (one of five patents he received). For this invention, Paul used live bats to monitor capillary blood flow, and for a while, kept live bats in the family refrigerator. When Paul Jr. was in second grade, he secretly charged a nickel for kids in the neighborhood to see the bats. This venture was discovered by mom and dad and quickly shut down. In 1974, Paul became the director of Life Institute of the Minneapolis Medical Center, to study the acceptance of new technology by doctors. Paul became an independent engineering consultant in 1974, forming two small corporations. He later became an exhibit design consultant for the Children's Museum of Indianapolis, to design an exhibit about flight. In 1997, he took a similar position with the Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence, Rhode Island.

Throughout his life, Paul's involvement with the fine arts was evident in his ability to act, sing, draw, paint, sculpt, design theatrical sets and work with wood. As a young man, he became an active puppeteer, creating beautiful handmade puppets. While in the Navy, Paul and Pat brought puppet shows to the children in the Naval Hospital in Norfolk. Later, mom Pat and the three children worked together with Paul to perform puppet shows at schools, hospitals, churches and civic events. Paul would travel to schools to encourage future engineers and inventors. His presentation involved him appearing as a mad scientist, which always included a small explosion in the classroom. He enjoyed designing and building sets for Minnetonka High School's theater department (Minnesota). For over 15 years, Paul was an active member of the Campbell University Choral Society, under the direction of his son-in-law Phillip Morrow. For a time, he also sang with the Triangle Choral Exchange. He later built sets for the Deep Dish Theater in Chapel Hill. He was president of the writing group at Galloway Ridge in Pittsboro. Paul and wife Joan loved to travel to many places, including the Grand Cayman Islands, South Africa, Namibia, Taiwan, Cuba and the Galápagos Islands. They had many close friends and family and loved spending time with them. More than anything, Paul loved to help family and friends by fixing things for them, or coming up with creative solutions to problems. He was an inventor at heart, and was passionate about finding more practical and clever ways to make things work.

Paul's children remember living with their dad was like living with a combination of MacGyver, Einstein, Christopher Lloyd (in Back-to-the-Future), and Tigger (from Winnie-the-Pooh). He was a scientist and engineer who used his knowledge and boundless energy to solve real life problems. He could solve intricate mathematical problems without seeing them written out. He could create quick solutions on the spot and worked especially well under pressure. There were times, according to the kids, that, while eating family dinner, their dad would freeze, stand up, and head directly to his shop, because he had realized a solution to whatever he was working on at the time. He was not merely supportive as a parent, but he came to every single hockey game, play, concert, and event. To help the players survive outdoor hockey games in Minnesota, Paul created a heated foot pad to keep the players' feet warm in the snow bank. He made intricate sets, props and costumes for school plays and was always- always there to help out. Dad gave generously of his time, not just to family and friends, but even to people he had just met. His friendliness and cheerfulness made him a bright spot in many lives.

Toward the end of his life, Paul had what he called "an epiphany" regarding his personal belief in the Lord. His conversion was triggered, he said, by a sermon delivered at Memorial Baptist Church in Buies Creek on January 5, 2025 by Pastor Edward Beddingfield entitled, "The Road Less Traveled." When daughter, Susan, talked to Paul after the service he said, "I have been on one road all my life and now I'm turning and getting on the other road." From that moment on, whenever Susan said, "the Lord is right here with you, Dad," he always whispered, "Wow."

The service for Paul will be held at Memorial Baptist Church in Buies Creek, NC on Saturday, August 30, 2025 at 11 AM. A private family burial at sea will follow later that day.