Necrology

Paul Charlton Waibel, Jr. '69

Dec. 19, 1947-May. 13, 2024

Paul Charlton Waibel, Jr. ’69 died on May 13, 2024, in Canton, Ohio. Born on Dec. 19, 1947, in Wilmington, Del., he grew up not far away in West Chester, Pa., and came to Hamilton from West Chester High School. On the Hill, he was a member of Psi Upsilon fraternity and majored in biology in preparation for medical school. Paul played football in his freshman and senior years and baseball for all four years. His positions were quarterback and pitcher, respectively, and he was honored as an MVP in both sports.

Having graduated with honors in biology, Paul proceeded to Hahnemann Medical School (now Drexel Medical School) ultimately to specialize in gastroenterology. In 1971, he became engaged to Helen “Penny” Cline Mattis of Wayne, Pa., and they were married on Aug. 28 of that year. They had two sons. 

After he received his medical degree in 1973 and was inducted into Alpha Omega Alpha, the medical honor society, Paul completed a residency at the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond. He then returned to Hahnemann to complete his training with the help of a fellowship in gastroenterology. 

Upon completing his medical education in 1978, Paul and his family moved to Canton, which was to be home for the rest of his life. There, Paul joined a gastroenterology and endoscopy practice that included three other doctors. In 1980, he became board certified in his specialty. 

By 1982, he and Penny were breeding, training, and selling Hanoverian horses, which historically were bred for farm work as well as for pulling wagons and coaches.

His first marriage ended in the late 1980s. On June 15, 1991, he married Lorraine “Lori” Carol Gialucca and their blended family included three boys and a girl. 

Paul drew upon his own athletic experience when he coached Little League baseball for 13 years, concentrating on his team’s pitchers, but also coaching batters. In 1995, he attended a Cleveland Indians fantasy camp to work on his pitching. He divulged in his 25th reunion yearbook that he was adopting a new name — “Nolan Albert Belle” Waibel — in anticipation of the experience and in reference to two famous ballplayers (Nolan Ryan and Albert Belle) of the time. At some point after 1997, he began playing for the Canton Masters 50-and-over baseball team. His other interests included golf and skiing, both on snow and on water.

Paul retired from his medical practice in 2006. He reported in 2013 in the Hamilton Alumni Review that he and Lori were raising a grandson and caring for his mother-in-law. He was a member and elder in the Reedurban Presbyterian Church of Canton.

Pondering the impact of his time on the Hill, Paul wrote in his 25th reunion yearbook: “Good friends, good education, good companions, and the striving for excellence have remained with me.” It was at the College that he “learned the Art of Hard Work.” In return, he participated in the Priorities for Hamilton capital campaign and regularly contributed to the Hamilton Fund.

Paul C. Waibel, Jr. is survived by his wife, two sons, a stepson, a stepdaughter, and six grandchildren.

Necrology Home