Paul Kenneth Shumaker

Olathe — Services for Paul Kenneth Shumaker, 63, will be at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at St. Andrew Christian Church, 13890 W. 127th St., in Olathe.
Mr. Shumaker died on Sunday, July 5, 2009, at the Kansas City Hospice House in Kansas City, Mo.
He was born on Sept. 11, 1945, the son of Willis and Josephine Shumaker. He grew up in Independence, Mo., and graduated from William Chrisman High School in 1963. He attended the University of Missouri, Columbia, where he got his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering.
After college he did an internship at NASA in Houston, and spent time in Morocco teaching TV/radio repair to orphans as a conscientious objector to the Vietnam War. When he returned to the United States he began a long and successful career as an electrical engineer working at various firms including Bell Labs, Custom Electronics and King Radio. He was a founder at both Birdview Satellite and Microwave Systems Design. He joined with friends and former co-workers to form Garmin Ltd. in Olathe, where he continued to work until his retirement in 2004.
Mr. Shumaker was a committed philanthropist with a focus on peace-building missions around the world and other humanitarian efforts. He was an active and committed member of St. Andrew Christian Church, where he served on numerous boards. He enjoyed spending time with family on his farm, traveling, orienteering, classical music and many other hobbies.
Survivors include a son, Eric, Lawrence; a daughter, Megan, Prairie Village; his parents, Willis and Josephine Shumaker, Independence, Mo.; two sisters, Marilyn Lowery, Independence, Mo., and Karen Wheeler, Union Star, Mo.; a brother, Wayne Shumaker, of Hopkinton, Mass.; his friend and former wife Dianne Shumaker; two grandchildren; and many cousins, nephews and nieces.
The family will meet friends from 9 a.m. until the service hour Wednesday at the church.
The family suggests memorials to Kansas City Hospice through www. kansascityhospice.org/ Donate-DonateEngine/ Index.htm.