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- [S927] Obituary.
Paul J. Gunther
Paul J. Gunther died Nov. 24, 2006 at the age of 73.
Mr. Gunther was a long time Irondequoit resident and businessman. He was the former owner of Gunther's Deli and Liquor Store, a real estate agent for the last 20 years, and a member of 7:30 Holy Cross Daily Mass Group.
He is survived by his wife, Patricia; three children, Mark, Tracey (Robert) Aldridge, Todd (Claire) Gunther; four grandchildren, Jack and Elena Aldridge, Anna and Genevieve Gunther; brother, Donald (Bernice) Gunther; mother-in-law, Lea Powell; several nieces and nephews.
His funeral Mass was celebrated at Holy Cross Church. Interment was in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery. Memorials may be directed to Sunset House, 3746 St. Paul Blvd., Rochester, NY, 14617, or Holy Cross Church Fund, 4492 Lake Ave., Rochester, NY, 14612. Arrangements were made by Paul W. Harris Funeral Home.
Paul Gunther, deli owner, real estate professional
By LINDA QUINLAN
Messenger Post Staff
Posted: Dec 7, 12:30 PM EST
The longtime Irondequoit resident was known for his booming laugh and friendly nature.
There are those who still remember buying penny candy from him at Gunther's Deli.
Others still remember purchasing or selling their home with Paul Gunther and his wife and partner, Pat.
"He knew everybody from the north end of Irondequoit, from when he grew up with them or from when he was running his store," said Realtor and friend Stephen Walther.
Her husband was just "a people person," Pat Gunther said. "He loved being with people."
Paul J. Gunther died Nov. 24, 2006. He was 73.
Born in Rochester, Mr. Gunther attended Irondequoit's Seneca School and graduated from Rochester's Charlotte High School.
He joined the Army and was stationed in Germany during the Korean War years, then returned home and attended college at Rochester Institute of Technology for two years.
He and his dad, the late Walter Gunther, then purchased a grocery store around the corner from the present-day Don's Deli on St. Paul Boulevard, near the corner of Lake Shore.
Father and son built the present location and opened what was known as Gunther's Deli in the mid-1950s. Paul also built and operated a liquor store next door, Pat Gunther said.
He'd be there seven days a week, she said, especially for the store opening and closing every day.
The couple met at the store. She would go there to purchase her New York Times when she moved to the area, Pat said.
They married and raised three children in Irondequoit. He'd always take time away from the store to be home for dinner with the family, Pat recalled. "His children and grandchildren were an important part of his life."
She also helped him part time in the store, until he sold it in the mid-1980s.
They weren't looking to sell at the time, she recalled, but Paul "always had in the back of his mind" that he'd go into real estate.
He and his wife became a "team" and were real estate agents working with Walther's firm. They specialized mostly in Irondequoit, and he was still going to open houses with her up to three weeks before he died, Pat Gunther said.
"It was all about being with people; he was never one to sit still," she said.
Mr. Gunther also loved flower gardening and traveling. Just two years ago, they spent four weeks driving cross country for the second time, this time with their pet, a Burmese mountain dog named Kianna.
"We wanted to hit the national parks," Pat said, and they did.
She said her husband also loved Christmas, and especially decorating for the holiday. Besides outside decorations, they'd do three inside trees and two village scenes.
"He'd spend five days to put the lights on the tree; it had to be perfect," Pat said.
They had made a recent trip to Germany, where they visited the Christmas markets there and picked up new ornaments.
"We came home with less than the kids expected," Pat said.
He also loved Hilton Head, S.C., and walking his dogs on the golf course at Durand Eastman Park.
The couple resided in Irondequoit until about 12 years ago, when they "downsized" and moved to a home in Charlotte.
His faith was also important to her husband, and he went to daily 7:30 a.m. Mass at Charlotte's Holy Cross Church "for years," Pat Gunther said.
"He was a hard worker and a strong person, but also the type of person if friends or family needed anything, they knew they could call on him," she said. "People thought highly of him and respected him and his opinions."
Family and friends also remember his deep laugh and his sense of humor.
"He was just the type of guy who was friendly and outgoing," Walther said.
Just about any place they traveled, he'd bump into someone he knew, Pat added.
"And adults would still come up to him and say, 'Remember me? I used to buy penny candy from you,'" Pat said.
Mr. Gunther is survived by his wife of 43 years, Patricia; three children, Mark, Tracey (Robert) Aldridge and Todd (Claire) Gunther; four grandchildren, Jack and Elena Aldridge, and Anna and Genevieve Gunther; brother, Donald (Bernice) Gunther; mother-in-law, Lea Powell; and several nieces and nephews.
Arrangements were made by Irondequoit's Paul Harris Funeral Home. Mr. Gunther's funeral Mass was celebrated Nov. 28 at Holy Cross Church. Interment was at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery.
Memorials in Mr. Gunther's name may be directed to Sunset House, 3746 St. Paul Blvd., Irondequoit, N.Y., 14617, or to the the church fund at Holy Cross, 4492 Lake Ave., Rochester, N.Y., 14612.
- [S888] Social Security Death Index 1935 - Current, (www.ancestry.com).
Name: Paul J. Gunther
SSN: 111-24-6086
Last Residence: 14612 Rochester, Monroe, New York
Born: 9 Feb 1933
Died: 24 Nov 2006
State (Year) SSN issued: New York (Before 1951)
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1933 - 2006 (73 years)