Paul William Burchell

Paul William Burchell, 79, of Butte Montana, passed away on January 11, 2013 peacefully.
A Memorial Mass will be held Tuesday January 15, 2013 at 2:00 PM at Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church with Deacon Edward McCarthy officiating. Another memorial will be held at a future date in Salt Lake City around the March time frame. Cremation and service arrangements are being handled by the Newcomer Funeral Home.
Paul was the youngest child of three boys, born to James and Ivana Burchell in Butte, Montana on August 22, 1933.
In Butte, Paul explored abandoned mine shafts not far from his back yard. He would later say that he would crawl through the shafts and do things that would terrify us now. His passion for geology never let an opportunity slip by to explain all about the different types of rock formations. Paul liked sports but was far more interested being on the school honor roll. He graduated from Boys Central High school in 1952
He met the love of his life, Marilyn Dolan when he was 15 years old. Together their relationship would be a force to reckon with. They were married on June 11, 1955. He graduated from the Montana School of Mines in 1956 with a bachelor degree in Petroleum Engineering.
Paul relished life and people; he was always the life of a party. Paul never met a stranger that wasn't a friend. He sought out laughter with great jokes and mischievous acts. He shed tears while laughing and crying. He loved to make toasts to occasions that were filled with friends and family. Some of his favorite adventures came from the Newcomers group and the fire truck tailgating group. He was always grateful for the kindness and love given to him.
Paul's life carried him far starting out during the summer months of college as an oilfield roughneck working in the Cut Bank oil field in Wyoming for Pan American Petroleum. Later Paul worked for Texaco as Senior Seismic Analyst, and then moved on to Utah becoming the Chief Petroleum Engineer working under Governor Calvin L Rampton. Paul finished his profession as a Petroleum Conservation Engineer for El Paso Natural Gas in El Paso Texas retiring back to Salt Lake City, Utah in 1992. Paul served as president of Utah Geophysics Society and Intermountain Association of Geologists.
Paul is survived by his wife, Marilyn, children, Terri Maynard of Casper, William Burchell of Eugene Oregon, Paula Purkeypile and Pam Harris both of Lubbock Texas, brother, Dan Burchell of Billings Montana, 7 grandchildren, 2 great-grandchildren and numerous nieces, nephews.
Memorials may be made to the Casper Humane Society.