Paul Edward Gomben

Paul Gomben died Thursday morning, February 9, 2012, at his home in Show Low following a battle with cancer. He was 77 years old. Paul was born on November 12, 1934, in Hammond, Indiana. His parents were Peter Gomben (born Petras Gumbinas) and Erma (West) Gomben. After graduating from Hammond Technical High School in 1952, Paul briefly worked in the rail yards of the Calumet Region before accepting a job with Illinois Bell Telephone Company, where he worked until the 1970s before transferring to Indiana Bell Telephone Company. His time with Illinois Bell was interrupted by service in the United States Army in Fort Riley, Kansas. All told, he worked 37 years for the telephone company before his retirement. In 1995, Paul and his wife, Ann, moved to Boncarbo, Colorado, where they stayed until 2001. After living briefly in Elephant Butte, New Mexico, the couple moved to Show Low in 2002. In addition to Paul's professional career, he was an avid volunteer. He worked as a volunteer fireman and emergency medical technician with the Lake Hills Fire Department in Schererville, Indiana, and the Bargersville Fire Department in Bargersville, Indiana; he was a scoutmaster with the Cub Scouts in northwestern Indiana; in Arizona, he volunteered for the Show Low Friends of the Library, Meals on Wheels, the Salvation Army, the Community Emergency Response Team, and the Arizona Department of Game and Fish Heritage Fund. He also was a member of the Audubon Society. His great love was bluebirds, for which he built and installed nesting boxes locally at Fool Hollow Park and Pintail Lake. As a young boy in Indiana, Paul developed a love of nature and of fishing on the banks of Plum Creek in Dyer. That love of nature took him on frequent fishing trips to the Gunflint Trail in Minnesota and the lakes of northern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Eventually, his love of the mountains and for the lore and the romance of the Old West inspired him to move to the foothills of the Rocky Mountains and then to the White Mountains of Arizona. Paul is survived by: his wife of 50 years, Ann Louise (Kempski) Gomben of Show Low; son Peter C. Gomben of Salt Lake City, Utah; son Matthew and daughter-in-law Cathy (Ortega) Gomben of Libacao, the Philippines; brother Peter G. Gomben of Beecher, Illinois; and beloved brother-in-law Donald Kempski of Ocala, Florida. Paul's family would like to thank the staff of Hospice Compassus of Lakeside, Arizona, for the care and compassion that they provided to Paul during his final days. In honor of Paul, memorial donations may be made to Hospice Compassus, the Humane Society, or Pet Allies of Show Low.