Paul John Grove

Paul John Grove, age 71, of Hessel, Michigan, died peacefully at his home on September 14, 2022. He was born in Bay City, Michigan, on January 11, 1951, to John Earl and Gladys Marie (Doan) Grove.

Paul’s family moved to Hessel when he was five and returned to the Bay City area when he was a teenager. He graduated from T.L. Handy High School in 1969 where he met his life partner and “soul-mate,” Rose. After high school, he began working with his father logging in the north woods and quickly fell in love with the wilderness of the eastern upper peninsula. After marrying his high-school-sweetheart, Rose Marie Hiltz on January 30, 1971, in Bay City, Michigan they moved to the U.P. to begin their family and live a life filled with adventures.

Paul was a man of various talents. He was an award-winning artist known for his realistic wood carvings and unique style of artistic expression. His work was in great demand, and he was often commissioned for private displays. From fireplace mantels, gun stocks and knife handles to life-sized replicas of wildlife, Paul enjoyed testing his own limits. Some of his more known pieces include those he donated and were auctioned for a good cause – a full-size loon for a local chapter of Ducks Unlimited, and a set of trophy deer antlers for a local chapter of Whitetails Unlimited.

Eventually, Paul had to stop carving and so he kept busy working various jobs and building a massive garden and aquaponics greenhouse where he liked to relax, care for his animals, and listen to the wind wash across the towering maples that blanket his land. He enjoyed applying his skills to help others and loved watching others succeed at the things he was passionate about. He taught wood carving classes at several local colleges and high schools, and enjoyed mentoring others in hunting, fishing, and gardening. Paul often won sculpting competitions at “Snowsfest” for The Green Thumb Garden Center in Cedarville where he worked for over 15 years. He even became a licensed minister so that he could officiate weddings for his two daughters.

Paul enjoyed spending time with his family and often reminisced about the many years of softball and wiffleball tournaments, building ice rinks, maple syrup and wine making, fly fishing, hunting, and camping trips, and the challenge of building a life with nothing more than dreams and bare hands. Paul was like a pudding stone. He was as solid as a rock and filled with little gems inside – he was full of life, love, wisdom, and a ton of passion.

Over time, Paul also worked to maintain both the Cedarville and Gros Cap schools as well as the St. Ignace Police Post. He helped build the St. Ignace McDonalds, he worked at the Kincheloe AFB, and was a DNR Park Ranger. He was an artist, a mentor, a teacher, and a minister. Paul built a substantial online community so he could “help others through difficult times.” He also enjoyed trapping, cooking, painting, and working and walking in the woods.

Paul is survived by his wife, Rose Marie Grove; daughters, Christina (Rob) Wagner of Waterford, Michigan, and Angela (Dan) Andersen of Isanti, MN; sons, Paul (Emma) Grove of Sault Ste. Marie, MI, Jason (Nikki) Grove of Sault Ste. Marie, MI, and Isaac (Colleen) Grove of South Lyon, MI; grandchildren, Sarah, Andrew, Reid, Lauren, Hunter, Seth, Chris, Kaiden, Sage, Lilliana, Haley, Eden, Juniper, Braelyn, Gabe, and Aevyn; sisters, Pam (Gary) Ballard of Hessel, Wanda (Howard) Sadlak of Bay City, Nancy Brandt of Hessel, Connie Sayles of St. Ignace, Gladys (Sy) Syring of Kincheloe, and Linda (Larry) Bartlett of Midland; brothers, Robert Grove of Hessel, and Ronald Grove of Hessel; and sisters-in-law Joanie Grove of St. Ignace, and Priscilla Grove of Hessel.

Paul was preceded in death by his parents, John and Gladys Grove; brothers, Randy Grove, Duane Grove, and John Grove; brothers-in-law, Jim Brandt, and Chet Sayles.

Visitation will be at Galer Funeral Homes & Cremation, 24549 S. M-129, Pickford, Michigan 49774, on Saturday, September 24, 2022, from 11:00 A.M. to 1:00. P.M. with the Funeral Service to follow at 1:00 P.M.

Burial will be at Rockview Cemetery, in Pickford, Michigan.

Memorial Contributions may be made to Leukemia Lymphoma Society (LLS), PO Box 22324, New York, NY 10087 or www.lls.org.

Condolences may be sent to the family at www.galerfuneralhomes.com.