Paul John Ehmen

Paul John Ehmen, known to his friends and colleagues as PJ and called John by his wife, passed away at the age of 89 on Thursday, February 5, 2015. A long time resident of Orlando, PJ, born in Union City, New Jersey, was the only child of Paul H. Ehmen and Frieda Wilhelm Ehmen. From infancy, he was raised by his maternal grandmother in a small town outside of Berlin, Germany. There he apprenticed and completed a designation as Master Baker from the Culinary Arts School of Berlin. At the age of 17 he was drafted into the German army where he was seriously wounded in the Battle of the Bulge. He spent a year in recovery, and in 1949 he was able to return to his home country. He worked as a baker in New York City where he met and married Marion, his wife of 64 years. Only months later he received a draft notice and consequently became a member of the US Army for 27 years. Serving in both Korea and Vietnam, PJ earned numerous accommodations, awards, and medals, including the Award of the Bronze Star Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, and the Army Commendation Medal First Oak Leaf Cluster. PJ retired from active duty in 1973 at the rank of Master Sergeant. Following his distinguished military career, he accepted a position as Manager of Food and Beverage Operations at the Sheraton Twin Towers hotel in Orlando. He was a founding member of the Central Florida Chefs Association, and at the time one of only 100 certified executive chefs in all of America. In a 1975, PJ became the new Food Service Director of Lucerne General Hospital in Orlando, where he revolutionized all aspects of the food service operations including for the first time gourmet meals for the patients and staff. PJ retired in 1990. Greatly respected and profoundly loved by his surviving wife, five children and their spouses, three grandchildren, extended family, and friends, PJ will be deeply missed. Parts of his life history and military service were recorded in an audio interview available at the Library of Congress Veterans History Project available at: http://lcweb2.loc.gov/diglib/vhp/bib/loc.natlib.afc2001001.84474 In Lieu of flowers, make any and all donations to Disabled Veterans Association, www.DAV.org in the name of Paul John Ehmen.

Paul John Ehmen

March 20, 1925 - February 5, 2015