Paul John Trudell was born March 7, 1942, in Williston, ND, the 5th child of Ray & Florence (Johnson) Trudell. He attended school at Sidney and Nohly and then graduated from Fairview High School in 1960. He then moved to Los Angeles, CA for one year to attend Northrup Institute of Technology, and then transferred to Bozeman for one year. He then worked for Boeing followed by the BLM in Oregon.
In 1963, Paul married the most beautiful girl in the valley, Elaine Cayko, in Fairview, MT. Their first son, Donald Jay, was born in 1964. They moved to Colorado in 1965 where Paul worked as a foreman building 2 power plant dams on the Gunnison River. Their favorite daughter, Paula Jo, was born in December of that year. In 1967, they moved back to Fairview and he worked for various farmers before joining the oilfield in the early 70’s. Brandon John was born in 1973 to complete their family.
Paul was very active and enjoyed many hobbies. He loved hunting, and took both boys elk hunting in Colorado at different times. He also enjoyed reading – especially Louis LaMour books. Horseshoes and bowling were big parts of his life as well as card games. Many Sundays were spent at his in-laws engaged in fierce games of Pinochle, Whist and Smear. He was very competitive! He was also a volunteer firefighter working his way up to Chief. At one time, he had part ownership in a plane and loved to fly. Summers most always included a family trip out to the Spokane area to see great friends, Buzz and Daisy, and various relatives. Other times we went to Colorado, Minnesota or fishing up in Canada. Octobers were always reserved for elk hunting with his brother, Jerry and family, in Colorado, and deer & pheasant hunting locally. Dad loved to hunt and collect guns!
Dad also loved music! Some of his happiest times were spent playing in the Blue Ribbon Band in the mid 70’s to early 90’s. They played Country & Rock with Dad on the rhythm or bass guitar and singing also. He also played piano by ear. He passed his deep appreciation for music on to his kids & grandkids.
In 1982, Paul left the oilfield to pursue a lifelong dream of owning his own business. He started Hour Glass Tree Service just as Dutch Elm was hitting the area. He removed and trimmed 1000’s of trees in the area. He also came up with his own special blend of fertilizer for evergreens and helped keep the MonDak green for almost 3 decades. All 3 of his kids worked the business with him at various times.
In 1985, Paul was officially diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. He had suffered a significant burn injury in 1982 and it is believed the trauma possibly brought on the Parkinson’s. He never let that slow him down. He continued to work his business and participate in his hobbies in spite of the challenges PD brought. He never complained about his disease. In 1996, he had brain surgery to stop the tremor on the left side of his body. It was successful but affected his speech. Communicating clearly became more and more difficult as the years went by. This was his greatest loss because Dad loved to talk and visit with people. He had many friends from many walks of life.
Paul and Elaine divorced and he moved to Sidney and continued his business. He was always willing to help Paula out whenever she needed anything. He and Elaine remained friends and holidays were celebrated together with his kids and grandkids. He loved finding and cutting down Christmas trees and it was always an adventure. He hid the eggs so well at Easter they were rarely all found. When the boys were home, rowdy games of cards would be played late into the night.
35 years of Parkinson’s and a 2nd brain surgery, finally took its toll on Dad and he spent the last 10 months of his life at Morningstar Assisted Living in Billings, MT. He was always surrounded by love and attention by their caring staff – especially Ashley, Kristina, Rico, Tamra and Tyler. The entire staff treated him with extra special care and was a blessing to Dad and our family.
Paul went to Heaven on Friday, April 21, 2017, with his daughter, Paula and niece, Lynnette by his side along with several staff members. Dad is talking up a storm and singing with all his family and friends in Heaven now.
Paul is survived by his children: Donald (Pam), Billings, MT, Paula (Russ) Steinbeisser, Sidney, MT & Brandon (Laurie), Rochester, MN; grandchildren: Kyla (John) Berger, Lacey, Sadie, and Shay (fiancé Chelsea Strasheim) Steinbeisser, Caleb and Rachel Trudell, Mikael, Cobey and Reece Trudell and 6 great grandchildren; siblings: Jerry (Joann) Trudell, Irene Emly, Elda Gabrielson, Mary Lou Miller, Dennis (Robin) Trudell, and Gene (Nancy) Trudell; mother of his children, Elaine Trudell; sister-in-law, Betty Trudell; numerous nieces, nephews, great nieces and nephews.
Paul was preceded in death by his parents, Ray and Florence Trudell; brother, Russell Trudell; his in-laws, John and Jeannette Cayko, brothers-in-law, Kipp Gabrielson, Albert Emly, Dale Miller, Johnny Cayko; sister-in-law, Pat Cayko; nephews, Ray Trudell, Bill Trudell and Jason Cayko.