Paul “PJ” Hastings

People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. On May 9, 2020, Paul J. “PJ” Hastings faithfully followed his wife Eleanor on their eternal journey together. Born in Owego, NY, and raised in Cadis, PA, he was the eldest of Matthew and Belle (Lynch) Hastings’ five children. He was predeceased by his parents; Eleanor, his wife of 50 years; his brothers Jack; Matthew and his wife Katie; Robert and his wife Eleanor; his sister Marie and her husband Gerald Shaughnessy; and his brother-in-law Father Paul Keebler. He is survived by his sister-in-law Gloria Hastings. Childless himself, he made all twelve of his nieces and nephews feel like his own children. He gained a trove of life experiences serving in the US Army during World War II while towing an anti-tank gun across Europe, among them crossing into Germany at the Remagen Bridge site and linking up with the Russian Army on the Elbe River as part of the 69th Infantry Division. Ironically, Paul passed the day after the 75th anniversary of Germany’s May 8, 1945 surrender to the Allies in the European Theatre of World War 2. His service earned him a lifetime of camaraderie in VFW and American Legion Posts. He invested over 40 years of loyal, dedicated service as a Supplier Quality Assurance Specialist for IBM. He was the last surviving founding member of the Little Meadows Volunteer Fire Company. True to his Irish roots, he bantered freely with all whom he met on his and Eleanor’s frequent jaunts throughout the countryside to familiar social establishments. He was an attentive listener, an insightful advisor, and a thoughtful, considerate inquisitor. Time spent with PJ was valued time. He would like to thank the staff at United Methodist Home’s Hilltop Campus who took wonderful care of both him and Eleanor in their last years. A funeral mass will be held at a later date at Church of the Holy Family in Endwell.