Paul Head Obituary

Paul Johnston Head

February 14, 1954 - June 21, 2025

Paul Johnston Head, 71, passed away peacefully in his sleep on June 21, 2025. He was born February 14, 1954 in Oklahoma City to Mary (Johnston) and Ben Head.

Paul attended Casady School from kindergarten through 12th grade, graduating in 1972. He had a distinguished athletic career during his school years. He was a three-sport letterman, playing football, basketball and baseball. His senior year he was captain of all three teams. Paul was elected to the first team All Southwest Preparatory Conference his senior year in all three sports. Additionally, he was selected first-team All-City in all three sports. He was selected All City Player of the Year in football and baseball. Paul was awarded the Dartmouth Cup, Casady's highest athletic award, his senior year. In 2019 Paul was enshrined in the inaugural class of the Casady Sports Hall of Fame. He remained close to friends he met at Casady his entire life, particularly Burch Fryer and Robby Berry.

Paul parlayed his achievements in baseball into acceptance to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill if he committed to pitching. He was a member of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity and Gorgon's Head Lodge, where he served as Princeps. He arrived from Oklahoma in striped bell bottoms and hair below his collar and left wearing seersucker pants with a love for beach music, shag dancing, and Tarheel basketball. At Chapel Hill, Paul made friends he remained close with throughout his life, especially Risden McElroy and Montgomery Burlingame IV ("Monty").

Shortly after graduating from Chapel Hill, he married Suzn Kerns and they moved to Oklahoma City where Paul began his banking career at Liberty National Bank. Their son, P.X. was born in 1981 and named after Paul's maternal grandfather, Paul X. Johnston, whom he idolized. They relocated to Roanoke, Virginia where Paul worked at Dominion Bank Shares. In 1984, Paul and Suzn welcomed their daughter, Talbott. After Suzn and Paul divorced, Paul moved to Alexandria, Virginia and purchased Dunn & Bradstreet franchises in several states. He loved being close to P.X. who was attending Episcopal School in Alexandria. He also enjoyed being close to the center of the political world of Washington, DC. In 2004 Paul felt compelled to volunteer to go to Florida to hand count votes in the Presidential election. He was always a staunch Republican and an avid Fox News watcher, even though he thought he was smarter than all the commentators, an opinion he happily shared.

In 2005 his love of Oklahoma brought him back to Oklahoma City. Shortly thereafter he met Jean Whiteneck who was planning to move to Highlands, North Carolina. Employing his legendary charm, he convinced her to stay in Oklahoma and they were married in 2006. But after Jean's daughter Eleanor graduated from Casady, Jean and Paul moved to Highlands where Paul made new friends and found cooler weather. For the last year of Paul's life they lived in Spartanburg, SC.

Paul was truly one in a million and had an infectious personality that put him in a league of his own. He was the quintessential raconteur whose trademark was holding court, typically outside in front of a fire, where he would entertain his guests with the most incredible and outrageous stories, typically featuring himself as the main character.

Paul was always the life of the party and loved by everyone he met. He returned that love with a fierce commitment and undying loyalty to his family and friends. Throughout his life, Paul maintained a passion for Oklahoma football, the New York Yankees, golf, politics, Hermes ties, the family cabin at Spring Creek, Colorado and the epic jeep trips there, the 21 Club in New York City, backgammon, crossword puzzles, Scrabble and his dogs Walter and Barclay. He was also passionate about the things he disliked which included - rules of any kind, slow waiters, being hot (any temperature above 71 degrees), sand, socks, incoming cell phone calls and Duke University.

He loved the history of our great nation, particularly the West and upon learning that Meriwether Lewis was a distant uncle, went on trips to retrace the steps of the great Lewis and Clark Expedition. Having worked at Connolly's Menswear in high school he viewed himself as a fashion icon and if he wore it that meant it was "the trend" whether it was or not.

Paul valued his lifetime friendships with both the Oklahoma City boys as well as those from his Chapel Hill days and always stayed in touch with them wherever he was through wagering with them on college football games on College Game Day, an activity he called "investing". He added a new group of friends in Highlands and, as always, they were not replacements but additions to the Paul Head circle of friends.

Paul is predeceased by his parents, Mary Johnston Evans and Ben Head. He is survived by his wife, Jean, his children P.X. Head (Elizabeth) of Atlanta, Georgia and Talbott Shaw (Burk) of Houston, Texas, stepdaughter Eleanor Lunenburg (Peter) of Charleston, South Carolina, grandchildren William and George Shaw, Henry Head and Charles ("Charlie") Lunenburg, sister Marcy Head Benson (Bruce) of Denver, Colorado, brother Eric Head (Shelley) of Denver, Colorado and numerous cousins.

A Memorial Service will be held at All Souls Episcopal Church in Oklahoma City at 1 p.m. on July 25th with a reception to follow at the Oklahoma City Golf and Country Club.

In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that memorial contributions be sent in Paul's name to the Potter Alzheimer's Disease Fund, University of Colorado Foundation, Suite 725, 1800 Grant St, Denver, CO 80203 or giving.cu.edu/paulhead