Paul Raymond McCandless, 91, formerly of New Castle and most recently of Berkeley Springs, W.Va., passed away surrounded by his family on Sunday, Oct. 14, 2018, at the War Memorial Hospital in Berkeley Springs, W.Va.

Paul was born on Nov. 3, 1926, in Transfer, Pa., to Porter and Nellie Wareham McCandless. The family settled in Slippery Rock, where Paul helped raise his younger brother and three sisters.

He was a 1945 graduate of Slippery Rock High School. Following graduation, he enlisted in the Army and served from January 1945 to June 1947. Paul then went back to school and earned a Bachelor of Science in Education from Slippery Rock State College in 1951 and a Master of Science in Education from Westminster College in 1964.

His proudest achievement was the work he did as a teacher. Spending the majority of his career at New Castle High School, he taught a wide range of classes related to mathematics and science until his retirement in 1991. Paul was well known and highly respected for his passion for teaching and his devotion to his students. He often spent extra time and effort on tutoring to make sure every student who entered his classroom left with a solid grasp of the material and a passing grade.

On Oct. 13, 1961, Paul married Elizabeth Zehner of Ellwood City. Paul worked hard to provide for his family, taking odd jobs whenever he was not teaching and lending a helping hand to a neighbor. Paul passed down his love of mathematics to his children and grandchildren, from taking calculus classes with his daughter at Youngstown State University, to coming up with extra math equations for everyone to solve.

Paul's family, friends and colleagues will remember him for his love of ice cream, crime television shows, polka and square dancing, and mostly for his laughter and big smile. Through the years, one of Paul's favorite pastimes was sitting outside in his chair observing, whether it was watching his wife tend her garden while enjoying the shade from the big maple tree at their house on Okinawa Drive, or where he spent his final months watching deer prance through the woods with his son's family from the back deck in West Virginia.

Paul was preceded in death by his parents; sister, Eleanor McCandless Davidson; brother, James "Jim" McCandless; and wife of 57 years, Elizabeth Jane Zehner McCandless.

He is survived by daughter, Christina McCandless (Bill) Kass of Fredonia, Ky.; daughter, Barbara McCandless (Michael) McCarthy of Marietta, Ga.; son, John Raymond (Jennifer) McCandless of Berkeley Springs, W.Va.; son, Paul Robert "Bob" (Jackie) McCandless of New Castle; sister, Janet McCandless Muller of Honolulu, Hawaii; sister, Maxine McCandless (Dale) Polley of Fort Collins, Colo.; many nieces and nephews; 12 grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.

Family and friends will gather at the Smith Funeral Home, 421 New Castle St., Slippery Rock, Pa., on Friday, Oct. 19, 2018, from 5 to 8 p.m.

Interment will be in Slippery Rock Cemetery.