Paul John, 83, of Richmond, Missouri, passed away peacefully at 6:53 p.m. on Monday, March 30, 2020, at his residence, surrounded by his loving family.

He was born on Jan. 11, 1937, in Trichy, India, the son of John Moses and Sundaram John. Born and raised in the city of Trichy, he attended Bishop Heber High School, graduating in 1954. Later he attended St. Joseph’s College in Trichy, graduating with a master’s in economics in 1959.

He moved that year to the bigger city of Chennai, living in Leith Hostel, where he made lifelong friends with whom he was in touch throughout his life. He also met the love of his life, Meera Rachel (nee Peter), through an arranged marriage, marrying her on June 8, 1961, at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Chennai, where he remained a lifelong member.

Working full time at the secretariat, and taking night classes diligently for several years, he completed his law degree in 1968. He then became a lecturer at the Chennai Law College, rising through the ranks to principal (dean) of the Law College in 1976, at which position he remained at Chennai, and later at Trichy, and finally at Madurai, retiring as dean there in 1995.

After retiring from his academic career, he moved to the U.S. in 1996 to be close to his children and grandkids. He spent time with them in different cities, including Knoxville, Tennessee; Columbus, Indiana; Burlington, Vermont; and Hartford, Connecticut. In 2004, he finally made his home in Richmond, where he lived until his death.

Paul was a very beloved dean and professor at the law college, and students kept in touch with him. He enjoyed the churches he was a part of in India and the U.S., particularly the Church of the Good Shepherd in Chennai, India, and the First Baptist Church of Richmond, whose pastor and people became endeared to him. He was a committed Christian who gave his live to Jesus when he was 59 years old and he loved the Lord and served him faithfully until the very end. Paul dealt with multiple health issues and the Lord preserved his life through all these sicknesses, for which he was always thankful to God. He was particularly grateful for the many kind medical people who attended to him through the years: Dr. Esau, his oncologist in India; Drs. Chapman and Bogart, his cardiologists; Dr. Beeki, his oncologist in the U.S.; Dr. Khan, his nephrologist; and others. In particular, he was very thankful for the loving care showered on him by Dr. and Mrs. Scowley, who became like family to him, as well as Janie Stevens, who came over often to take care of his needs. Many friends from the community loved Paul and showed they cared deeply – including Farrell Hockemeier,

David and Janice Plummer, Pastor Willie Isaacson, neighbor Billie Vantrump and many others, which time and space will not permit to mention by name. The kind and compassionate nurses from Shirkey Hospice were a special blessing in his last days and brought much comfort to the family.

Paul loved to serve people and he volunteered as a tax preparer in Indiana and Missouri for several years to help many who would have otherwise had difficulty financially to pay for that. Paul enjoyed listening to Southern Gospel music, particularly Bill and Gloria Gaither, and attended concerts in the area whenever he could with his good friends Morris and Shirley Smith and others. He also enjoyed taking his wife Meera to visit family and friends in other parts of the country. He enjoyed staying in touch with all his siblings, nieces and nephews and their children.

But most of all, he loved being with his children and their families. He took an avid interest in each of his six grandchildren, and loved to be with them, encouraging and supporting them with his presence and prayers in all their endeavors, whether it be attending their piano and voice recitals, and soccer games, cooking Indian food for them, taking them out to eat at Denny’s or playing endless board games with his youngest grandchild, Nathaniel.

Survivors include Meera Paul, his loving wife of 58 years; his three children, David (Bee) Paul of Jakarta, Indonesia, Daniel (Glory Daniel) Paul of Springdale, Arkansas, and his daughter Carol (Sam) Karl, of Lee’s Summit, Missouri; sisters Joy (Samuel) Johnson of Chennai, India, and Maldives and Jubilee (Suresh) Andrew of Vellore, India; a brother, Edwin (Hana) Asirwatham of Buffalo, New York; his grandchildren, Becky (Eric Rodenberg) Daniel of Seattle, Benjamin Andrew of San Francisco, Sarah Elizabeth of Chicago, Jonathan David of Kansas City, Rachel Grace of Upland, Indiana, and Nathaniel Isaiah of Jakarta, Indonesia; and several nieces and nephews spread out in India, the U.S. and Australia.

He was preceded in death by his parents; his brothers, Victor, Joseph and David; a sister Grace; sisters-in-law, brothers-in-law; and nieces.

The family requests any donations to be made to First Baptist Church of Richmond. They can be left at or mailed to Thurman Funeral Home, 507 E. Main St.-P.O. Box 190, Richmond, MO 64085.

Private family graveside services occurred at 2 p.m. on Thursday, April 2, 2020, in Richmond Memory Gardens, with a full celebration of his life to take place at a later date. Ceremonies entrusted to Thurman Funeral Home. Please remember to share your memories of Mr. Paul John with the family by visiting www.thurmanfuneralhome.com.