Paul D. Faircloth, retired CHSP superintendent
Paul D. Faircloth, 65, passed away surrounded by family Wednesday, April 2, 2025. He was born June 2, 1959, in Columbia, Pa., the son of Jeannine Hinds and Charles W. Faircloth Jr. He was predeceased by his parents and infant brother. He is survived by his wife, Keri Cumming Faircloth; his children, Nicholas and his wife Laura Faircloth, Christopher and his wife Zoe Faircloth, Hannah Faircloth and her partner Ryan Sullivan; and grandson Shia Faircloth. He is also survived by his sister Cathy Ferree and her husband Stan.
Paul was a graduate of Penn State University and was a member of Theta Chi fraternity. He loved his fraternity and the brothers he found there. Paul graduated with a degree in parks and recreation, and did his internship at Shenandoah National Park. Shenandoah always held a special place in his heart, and he shared this with his family. Many family vacations and adventures were experienced there. Paul began his career with the Delaware State Parks in 1986 as a park ranger. He held various positions in numerous parks until his retirement in 2017, at which point he held the position of superintendent for Cape Henlopen State Park. He loved his job and the many friends he made there.
Paul was a member of Bethel United Methodist Church, where he was very active with the youth group. He attended countless weekly youth group meetings, youth rallies and mission trips until he was no longer able to do so. He loved them all. Paul also participated in the Walk to Emmaus, which was very meaningful to him. Paul was a gifted guitarist and joined Bethel’s praise band in 2001. He continued to play with them until 2024. He loved being part of the group and made many dear friends.
Paul loved many things, his family first and foremost. He never met a dog he didn’t like and that didn’t like him in return. His love for children was obvious, and he was often seen playing tag or hide-and-seek whenever they were around. Paul was a lifelong fan of rock ‘n’ roll, and passed his love for music on to his family. Paul enjoyed being a cub scout leader for his boys and a soccer coach for his daughter, even though he couldn’t play soccer himself. He also loved biking with his wife and friends, Kevin and Leslie Poff, with whom he had many fun adventures in South Dakota, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Delaware. Paul was also an avid fan of the Nittany Lions, although his loyalty was challenged when his son Chris joined the University of Delaware Marching Band. He missed very few of those UD games.
Paul was a wonderful, loving husband, father, grandfather, brother and friend. He will be missed by all.
A Celebration of Life will be held at 10:30 a.m., Friday, May 30, at Bethel United Methodist Church in Lewes. A luncheon will follow at the main beach pavilion in Cape Henlopen State Park.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions to Jewish Family Services, 99 Passmore Road, Wilmington, DE 19803, or Alzheimer's Association, alz.org.
Visit Paul's Life Memorial at parsellfuneralhomes.com.
