“Summers were for my baseball and winters were for Paul’s bowling,” said Sherry Stemmler as she discussed Paul’s posthumous Hall of Fame induction.

Born in 1956 Paul enjoyed several sports, but bowling was the family favourite. As a member of the Youth Bowling Council at Echo Bowl, Paul not only bowled, but also worked at the front counter, the snack bar, and fixed the pin setting machines. Paul eventually ran the YBC program at Mohawk Bowl as his children, Shawn and Stephanie, were active bowlers.

Paul bowled in several major leagues and enjoyed early tournament success as he won the Bowlerama Match Play singles in 1979, and in 1981 Paul won the BarDon Lanes Tour of Champions.

Paul joined the Master Bowlers’ Association in 1978 and bowled for 36 years. In the tournament division, he was an “Iron Man” as he bowled 1660 consecutive games, never missing a tournament. His average was a very credible 251.83. In total, Paul won four events. He shared the podium in the 1989 Mixed Triples with Peter Scerni and Anna Blatherwick. The following year Paul won the Triples again, this time with Hall of Famers Diane Harrison and Fraser Hambly. In 1991 Paul won the Mixed Doubles, this time with Hall of Famer Connie Ward. Paul was able to capture a solo victory in 1995 as he won the opening Thanksgiving Classic. Nationally Paul qualified for three provincial teams, and all three teams bowled nationally in Saskatoon. In 1983, Paul won a silver medal, followed by a bronze medal in 1988, and a gold medal in 1995.

Paul was equally successful in the Provincial Open as conducted by the Ontario 5 Pin Bowlers’ Association. Beginning in 1980 Paul qualified 21 times, representing the Tri-County zone. Included were six times as a singles representative, 12 on the Men’s team and nine Mixed teams. The 1990 Men’s team won the provincial title and Paul was joined by Bill Hollands, Richard Mayer, Danny Scott, Hall of Famer Tom Patterson, and another of tonight’s honourees, Al Hardiman. Brian Fenney was the coach and his wife Debbie handled the scorekeeping. On the TOP 90 list of bowlers of all time, Paul was selected as number 81.

Paul and Sherry met at a bowling tournament in Ottawa and married on August 5, 1978. Together they raised two children, Shawn and Stephanie. There are two grandchildren, Addison, and Finnegan. Paul worked for 30 years as a welder for the Lear Corporation in Kitchener. Following his retirement in 2014, Paul worked for two years with Modern Designs, a company that manufactured the popular Muskoka chairs. Sadly, in 2016, Paul contracted a rare form of bile duct cancer, and he passed away on November 23, 2016, at just 60 years old.

Today, Sherry continues to live in the Stemmler family home along with their son Shawn. Sherry currently is caring for her mother, Patricia McGrandle, who is 93, and also babysits the young Finnegan, who is just 18 months old.