Br. Paschal Duesman, SSP

Br. Paschal Duesman, SSP

Born: September 19, 1932

1st Profession: September 8, 1964

Final Profession: September 8, 1969

Died: November 20, 2019

            Br. Paschal Duesman was born in Pilot Point, Texas to a large family of three brothers and five sisters. (He is survived by 3 sisters and 1 brother.) Upon the death of his mother, his father re-married and seven more sons and three daughters were added to the family. He served in the Navy from 1954-1956. (He was proud to be a Veteran of the US Navy.) He farmed and had several jobs before entering the Society of St. Paul in Staten Island, NY in 1962. He completed his novitiate and made his First Profession in 1964 before returning to Staten Island and worked in the book bindery for 35 years.

In January 2002 he was transferred to Canfield, Ohio where he worked in the Audio-Visual department editing the talks of some of the national Catholic speakers. He continued that up until a few years ago.

 He was a true witness to the Pauline spirituality and its practices by being faithful to the daily mass and Eucharistic Visit. He often attended various spiritual functions in the area. He was also a strong support and a man of encouragement for the Pauline Family, especially the Sister Disciples of the Divine Master, Daughters of St. Paul and more recently the Holy Family Institute.

He has always been mechanically inclined and offered his service to the congregation in maintaining equipment, cars, and other mechanical devices in the community. In Ohio he would oversee the grass cutting equipment and the maintenance on all the cars. He also did a little gardening and at one point did some beekeeping.

 He was strongly active in the Right to Life movement, participating in national demonstrations and receiving several awards. He was instrumental in obtaining the funding through the Knights of Columbus for a Right to Life billboard along the major highway in Youngstown, Ohio. He was also supportive of the Bella Women’s Center that would work with mothers to keep their unborn children.

 As an active 4th Degree Member of the Knights of Columbus he participated in their Food Drives and other charitable activities. He would participate in hosting bingo at the local senior nursing homes.  

Over the years he dealt with stenosis of the spine which made him bent over dramatically. He endured the various issues coming with this disease. In early 2019 he discovered he had cancer of the esophagus. He went through radiation treatments and therapy. In October he learned that this had spread to his lung, liver and bone. He faced this adversity by accepting God’s will for him. He had his family and many friends visiting with him as his disease progressed. Over the last week he was confined to bed cared for by Hospice as well as the members of the community.

In his final hours he was surrounded by friends and the members of the Canfield community. On his final day, the community celebrated the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick with him and various friends. He died peacefully in his bed at 4:30 pm.

He will be waked in the chapel at St. Paul Monastery, Canfield, Ohio on Monday, November 25th from 4 – 8 pm with a rosary at 7:30 pm. The Funeral will be on Tuesday, November 26th at 11 am. Calling hours before the mass and a luncheon afterwards.

Brother Paschal will be buried in Oklahoma next to his brother, William. Funeral arrangements are being made by Fox Edward Funeral Home, Youngstown.

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