Paul William Kerr

Against all of our prayers, Paul William Kerr of Reeders, Pennsylvania lost his battle with cancer on

September 16 th , 2023, after fighting hard for nearly 6 years. He was born November 17 th , 1966 in

Delaware, Ohio to Eileen (McCaully) Kerr and William Kerr, who were Christian missionaries, promoting

their faith and providing services to people all over the country. When Paul was young, the Kerr family

moved to Reeders to run Streamside Camp and Conference Center. That move is what allowed Paul to

meet his future wife and many other people who would become lifelong family and friends.

Paul wed the love of his life, Kim Kerr (Strausser) in 1989 and they recently celebrated their 34 th wedding

anniversary in June 2023. Together, they raised 4 children—Nathan (girlfriend Amber), Adrian (girlfriend

Leigh-Anna), Ryan, and Cassandra (fiancé Ernie) as well as having a large hand in raising their grandson,

Zac. Along with his wife, children, and grandson, Paul is also survived by his loving mother, Eileen, and

his wonderful sisters, Cindi Brown (and husband Matthew), Tami Kerr, and Denise Kerr, as well as

several nieces and nephews, who were always a major part of his life. Also left behind to mourn his loss

is his mother-in-law, Emily Strausser, who always treated him like a son, his sister-in-law Kyra Strausser,

his niece Meghan Strausser who he always lovingly referred to as his “other daughter”, and his brother-

in-law and sister-in-law, Ed and Louise Strausser, who were lifelong friends. He was preceded in death

by his father, William Kerr.

Paul graduated from Pocono Mountain High School, as well as Monroe County Vo-Tech, where he

studied auto body, a skill that he thoroughly enjoyed sharing with his children and niece. He always

loved cars and dreamed of owning a 1963 Chevy Corvette Split-Window Coupe. Sadly, he never did get

the chance to own one, but he did own a rad black and pink 1981 Chevy Monte Carlo in his younger

years.

He had a great affection for dogs and spent many years volunteering for the Hope for Hannah Rescue,

saving hundreds of canine lives in the process. He would often adopt the misfit dogs that were not a

great fit for other families but managed to fit right in with the Kerrs. He loved them all unequivocally.

Actually, Paul had an affinity for knowing when others were in need, always managing to be a strong

father figure or a helping hand to so many people over the years. No matter how little he and Kim had,

they were always willing to give anything to help a person in need, whether it was food, a place to live,

or just advice and support. This caused them to have numerous “rent-a-kids” over the years, many who

came to visit Paul in his last days. He was always the guy who would come to your rescue, at any time of

the day or night and never ask for anything in return. One of his rent-a-kids said it best shortly before

Paul passed: they say it takes a village to raise a child and Paul was the father of everyone’s village.

Of course, even with all that kindness and love inside of him, oh boy could he could still be

cantankerous. His family had a few choice nicknames for him that wouldn’t be appropriate for this

obituary and he loved every one of them. He prided himself in always having a grouchy retort or snarky

response to things he deemed ridiculous…which were a lot of things. He could spout off the phrase

‘now wait’ faster than he could blink and you’d want to keep a watchful eye on his walking cane when

his patience was wearing thin…or when a wasp flew near him. He saved every manual, receipt and bill

over the years, so if you ever needed to see a utility bill from 1996 or a receipt for a wrench from 1977,

he could make it happen.

Paul always had a wise-crack or sarcastic comment to share. He appreciated humor, even when things

were normally deemed too serious for a laugh. Even when his cancer required that he have treatments,

surgeries, or hospital stays, he would still value a good joke at his expense and happily laugh from his

hospital bed. He had a one-of-a-kind personality that is impossible to describe and can never be

replicated. His loss has left such an emptiness for everyone who knew him, but his wit, advice, and love

will live on. We all take a bit of comfort in knowing that his long, painful fight has now ended. I hope

that wherever he is, they’re serving iced tea.

In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations toward Paul’s final expenses. There will be a

memorial luncheon to share memories of Paul on Saturday, September 23 rd from 2pm until ??, at his

mother-in-laws home at 104 Lois Lane, Stroudsburg, PA. All are welcome to join us to share food and

stories.