Paul M. Barmantje, age 70, a resident of West Chicago, IL, died Monday, October 9, 2017, at Central DuPage Hospital in Winfield, Illinois. He was born May 6, 1947 in Chicago to John and Evelyn Barmantje.

Paul grew up in Elmhurst, IL and graduated from York High School in 1965. He attended the University of Wisconsin in Madison, where he studied Economics and met his wife, Martha. After earning his MBA from Southern Illinois University, they settled in Wheaton to raise their family. Paul jumped right into starting his own business and ran the Hawthorne Roofing Company in Wheaton for 10 years. In 1985 he moved on to his next venture, trading options from his own seat at the Chicago Board of Trade. In 1995, being done with the commute, he went back to his construction roots and became a building inspector for the City of West Chicago. In 2005 he was able to move on to his favorite business yet, retirement.

Paul was a man of many projects. He threw himself into new hobbies and became a wonderful baker and woodworker, much to the delight to his daughters who were the recipients of his efforts. He enjoyed being outside the most, though, and loved golfing and birding. Paul and Martha started their lives as naturalists on their honeymoon camping trip and never lost their love of enjoying wildlife, taking many trips around the country to hunt down their favorite birds. Paul was also an avid sports fan and he and Martha spent many years rooting for the White Sox, Blackhawks and Wisconsin Badgers.

He is survived by his wife, Martha, two children, Hillary (Tim) Lang of Wheaton and Katie (Rich) Tomlinson of Oak Park, four grandchildren, Oscar, Phoebe, Maggie and Jake, and two sisters, Diane (Newt) Reed and Judy (Gerard) Francou. He was preceded in death by his parents.

A memorial visitation will be held on Saturday, October 14, 2017 from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. at Hultgren Funeral Home, 304 N. Main St., Wheaton, IL 60187.

Memorial gifts may be directed to Illinois Audubon Society…https://illinoisaudubon.org/