Eulalio Paul Ramirez

Eulalio Paul Ramirez, 89, of Bakersfield, CA, died at 9:40pm Thursday, July 15, 2021 at Magnolia Place Senior Living Facility, Bakersfield, CA. Paul, also known as Lalo, was born January 15, 1932 in Galesburg, IL, the son of Eulalio A. and Guadalupe (Perez) Ramirez.  He joined the US Air Force in 1950 and was honorably discharged as Staff Sergeant in 1954.  He attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where he received a B.S. in Accountancy in 1958.Between the years of 1960 to 1967, he lived in both Tripoli, Libya and Rome, Italy while working for The Pure Oil Company later to be known as Union Oil/UnoCal.  He worked on-site in the oil fields and traveled to Honduras, Berlin, Switzerland, Helsinki, Budaphest and London.From 1970 to 1978, while working for Global Marine, his work took him to Turkey, Nairobi, London, Portugal, Madrid, Cameroon, and Guinea. Sometime during his years of travel for work, he settled in Westwood, CA for 30 years.  In the early 1970’s, he opened a small import/export business to sell artifacts mostly of Turkish origin as a side business for a short period of time.  In the early 1990’s, he moved to Bakersfield, CA and later retired from Challenger Minerals, Inc. a subdivision of Global Marine. Paul is survived by two sisters, Mary Lou (Richard) Gonzalez of Galesburg, IL and Jane (Genaro) Reyes of Moline, IL; nieces and nephews, Chris Gonzalez, Maria Elena Gonzalez, Arcadio Ramirez, Lisa Ramirez, Anita Ramirez, Nichole Ramirez, Mark Ramirez, Gina Reyes Ellison, Jaime Reyes and Rick Gonzalez; and his great nieces and nephews, Alicia, Matthew and David Smith, Andrea and Crystal Gonzalez, Brendan and Emma Ramirez, Taylor Ramirez and Jude Reyes.  Along with his parents, Paul was preceded in death by seven brothers, three sisters and one nephew. He was a Lifetime Alumni member of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.  He was an avid Los Angeles Dodgers fan driving from Bakersfield to see a couple home games each season.  He enjoyed meeting new people, learning about their culture and food as well as spending time with his family.  He always had room for dessert. Private interment was held on Saturday, August 21, 2021 at St. Joseph’s Cemetery in Galesburg, IL.  Deacon Michael Crummer officiated.  Arrangements were entrusted to Watson Thomas Funeral Home and Crematory, Galesburg.