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BLOOMINGTON IL -- Paul Joseph Vertin, 90 of Bloomington Illinois passed away on Sunday, July 5, 2026.
Paul was born in Calumet, Michigan on December 17,1935, the son of Rudolph and Petronilla Vertin. He attended Sacred Heart Grade School, graduated in 1953 from Sacred Heart High School in Calumet, and John Carroll University in 1957. He received his Master’s Degree in Marketing and Finance from New York University in 1959. He was a veteran of the US Army.
Paul married Margie (Kasher) Vertin on August 29,1970 and together they raised five daughters in Bloomington. After his college graduation, Paul joined the family business (Vertin Brothers Department Stores) and was appointed branch manager of the Norway, Michigan store. In 1964 Vertin Brothers named him manager of the Klemm’s Department Store, after purchasing their Bloomington location. Over the next five years, Vertin Brothers acquired four additional Illinois stores which he oversaw. After closing the family stores, he joined Paxton Office Machine & Furniture in 1982, and in 1987 he accepted a position in the State Farm Purchasing Department, where he earned his Certified Purchasing Manager (CPM) in 1994, before retiring in 1999 as a Senior Purchasing Specialist. He was a past member of the Bloomington Elks, Rotary, Exchange Club, Bloomington Country Club and That Other Club. He was also past president of the Downtown Merchants Association, and a board member of the American State Bank. He was a supporter of Central Catholic High School activities and Notre Dame athletics, and he enjoyed golf, spending time with grandchildren, traveling the world, wintering in Sanibel, Florida and summering in Eagle River, Michigan.
His wife Margie preceded him in death in 2015. He is survived by daughters Katie (David) Deneen of Bloomington, Mary (Todd) Hill of South Bend, IN, Susie (Matt) Johnson of Bloomington, Bridget (John) Barnett of Madison, WI, Sarah (Stephen) Pilcher of Bloomington, and thirteen grandchildren, Meg, Ellie and Christy Deneen, Anna and Brody Hill, Teddy, Penny and Libby Johnson, Levi and Henry Barnett, Thomas, Abby and Bridget Pilcher, sister-in-law Mary Carol Kasher and special friend Marlys Stern.
A memorial visitation will be held Monday, July 27 from 9-11 a.m. followed by the Memorial Mass of Christian Burial at 11 a.m. at Holy Trinity Church in Bloomington. Interment will follow at Holy Cross Cemetery in Normal.
In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to Central Catholic High School 1201 Airport Road, Bloomington, IL 61704 or Main Street Calumet, P.O. Box 188, Calumet, MI 49918. To express condolences online, please visit www.carmodyflynn.com.