Herbert Gibson Paton

Herbert Gibson Paton, 96, of Centennial, Colo., went to be with his Lord and savior Jesus Christ on July 30, 2023, after a brief illness. 

He was born on Feb. 23, 1927 in Alton, Ill., the youngest of three children, and grew up in Wood River, Ill., where his father, a Canadian immigrant, was a banker. In his youth, Herb was a good student and was the youngest boy in his town ever to earn his Eagle rank in the Boy Scouts.

During World War II, at the age of 17, he graduated from high school a semester early and joined the U.S. Navy, where he served in the Pacific theater until the war’s end. When he returned to civilian life, he attended DePauw University in Indiana, where he earned a degree in Physics. He loved the Big Band music of his era and for a time in his early twenties co-owned a company that played those records at parties and special events. 

In 1952, he met Susan Bennett at the corporate office of Firestone Tire & Rubber Co. in Akron, Ohio, where they both worked. Soon engaged, Herb and Susan married on May 9, 1953 in Medina, Ohio and enjoyed a devoted marriage of almost 65 years, before Susan passed in January 2018. 

Herb and Susan made homes in St. Louis, Afton, Mo., Kirkwood, Mo., Overland Park, Kansas and Littleton, Colo., as Herb advanced in his career in sales and sales management with Leeds & Northrup Co., an electric-technology company that made precision measuring instruments. 

Herb was an outdoorsman and took his family on many camping trips around the Western United States and Canada. He enjoyed hunting, skiing, fly-fishing and golf, and played tennis until he was 89 years old. He was an avid fan of the Denver Broncos, St. Louis Cardinals and the University of Arizona sports teams.  

All six of his children graduated from Heritage High School in Littleton. 

Retiring in 1995, Herb and Sue moved to Green Valley, Ariz., where they devoted most of their time to serving the Lord and advancing the Gospel. Together, they went on numerous mission trips to Mexico, Cuba, Eastern Europe and Russia. When Sue’s health declined, they lived for a time with their son Huntley’s family in Huntersville, N.C. After Sue’s death in 2018, Herb continued to live independently in the Denver area until the final week of his life, taking long walks to stay fit. 

He is preceded in death by his parents, Herbert and Helen Paton, his wife Susan Paton, his brother Robert Paton and sister Jean Warren. 

He is survived by his six children — Cyndi Teflian of Parker, Craig Paton of Denver, Carolyn Paton of Centennial, Ted Paton of Tucson, Ariz., Huntley Paton of Weaverville, N.C., and Laura Benson of Arvada. He also is survived by sons-in-law Mark Teflian and Mike Benson, and daughters-in-law Anne Paton and Dawn Paton. He loved and was loved by his 15 grandchildren: Jim Paton (spouse Jennifer), Kelly Bajorek (Aaron), Brittany Eggers (Kenneth), Brianne Teuber, Maddie Paton, Elise Teuber, Carolyn Benson, Bennett Paton, Meredith Benson, Mitchell Paton, Natalie Teflian, Grace Paton-Campbell (Harley), Hannah Paton, Carter Paton, and Hailey Benson — as well as his five great grandchildren, Nicholas Eggers, Haley Eggers, Lane Paton, James Paton and Cora Bajorek. 

He also is survived by his brother-in-law Austin Wood, nephews Gordon Wood, Bruce Paton, Doug Paton, Scott Paton and Brad Paton, and nieces Fern Phillips, Julie Warren Kinley and Elizabeth Wood Bunce. 

A memorial service will be held Sept. 15 at 11:30 a.m. at the Drinkwine Mortuary chapel in Littleton, followed by a ceremony at Fort Logan National Cemetery, where Herb and Sue’s ashes will be laid to rest side by side.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Wounded Warrior Project www.woundedwarriorproject.org in Herb's name and memory. 

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