Paul George Vess (April 1, 1930 August 8, 2016) Retired USMC Chief Warrant Officer Paul George Vess, passed away Monday, August 8, in Cary, NC, after losing a lengthy battle with Alzheimer's. He was 86 years old. Paul was born on April 1, 1930 in Hopedale, OH, to the late George Vich and Julia (Licina) Miller. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his 1st wife and mother of his 6 children, Beverly (Granc); his 2nd wife, Naomi (Norman); four sisters, Sophie (Joe) Dubinsky, Jane (Don) Mazeroski, Mary Ann (Louis) Basich, Delores (Nelson) Cramblett; and a brother, John (Christine) Vich. Paul was a devoted husband and father to his family. He cherished all the friendships he developed throughout his career, and regularly donated to the Catholic Church and numerous charities. Paul was a very proud, conscientious, detail-oriented, and dedicated Marine serving in both the Korean and Vietnam wars with several tours overseas. Initially enlisting in the Corps in 1949, he contributed nearly 27 years of active followed by 9 years of civil service to military aviation maintenance and support. He was renowned as a leader in the field of avionics and specialized in integrated logistics support, reliability/maintainability, analysis techniques, test/evaluation procedures, technical publications, and personnel training/support for the weapons and support systems for numerous Marine and Naval fleet aircraft. The annual "Avionics Marine of the Year" award, known as the "Paul G. Vess Award," was renamed in his honor in 1995 for "the most outstanding contribution by an electronics technician." He is survived by his six loving children, Paula (Mark) Gember, of Athens, AL, Julee Vess, of Leicester, NC, Robert (Joan) Vess, of Raleigh, NC, Thomas Vess, of Concord, CA, Jenny (Jack Bulkley) Vess, of Apex, NC, and Donald Vess, of Littleton, CO; and six grandchildren. Paul will be transported by Brown-Wynne Funeral Home of Cary, NC, to Beaufort, SC for interment. Graveside services and burial with full military honors will be held at 11 a.m. on Monday, August 15, 2016, at Beaufort National Cemetery. Memorial Contributions in his honor may be made to the Marine Corps "Wounded Marine Support" or to the Alzheimer's Association.