Paul Phillip Dillavou

Paul Phillip Dillavou, 89, of Amarillo, TX passed through Heaven’s doors and went home to the Lord on March 27, 2020.

Private family burial will be held with Mark England officiating. Memorial services will take place at a later date. Arrangements are by Boxwell Brothers Funeral Directors, Amarillo.

He was born on November 10, 1930 to parents Fred and Florence Dillavou in Carroll, Iowa.

He joined the Air Force in 1951 and spent four years as an aircraft mechanic and instrument technician working on B-47 bombers in San Antonio and the old Amarillo Air Base. During that time, he received the National Defense Service medal and Good Conduct medal. After leaving the service in 1955 he stayed in Amarillo and married his first wife Jerry and they had a daughter Paula.

Paul put his mechanic skills to work and owned his own small equipment repair and equipment rental business for many years in downtown Amarillo. He loved to work on old cars and hang out with friends in the antique car club with the red Ford Model A that he restored.

After Jerry died in 1997, he married his second wife Wanda Yarbrough Dillavou in 2001 and they were best friends and inseparable until her death in 2017.

Paul was one of the kindest, sweetest people in this world and he had an enduring smile and laugh that won’t be forgotten.

He is survived by his daughter, Paula Steele, of Amarillo, and stepchildren, Les and Gwen Yarbrough, of Amarillo, Karla and Presley McMahan, of Borger, and Jeff and Debbie Yarbrough, of Knoxville, Tennessee. His extended family also includes seven grandchildren and eleven great-grandchildren.

The family would like to thank the wonderful staff at the CLC-A at Amarillo Veterans Hospital and Coulter Road Baptist Church for years of love and kindness.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a donation to a favorite charity or any veterans support group.

Viewing will be available from 8:00 A.M. – 8:00 P.M., Monday, March 30, 2020, to Thursday, April 2, 2020, at Boxwell Brothers Funeral Home, 2800 Paramount Blvd.

6 Replies to “Paul Phillip Dillavou”

  1. I remember your dad ! He had a passion for working on small engines ! Your mom was so beautiful and left this world way too soon ! My mom just loved her so much ! I reside in Little River,SC. ! This is the residence of my oldest daughter ,Candace Elaine ( Stimpson ) Jason Boroos and two grandkids !

  2. Paula,I’m very sorry to hear about your Dad ! Paula,i went to Sunrise Elementary school,Bowie Jr. high school and Caprock high school with you ! You were my childhood sweetheart ! I was extremely shy, but i grew out of that ! There was a girl named Nanette that used to make fun of me ! i married a sweet girl from Palo Duro High School,her name was Mamie Palmer ! We have three kids and four grandkids ! m sure you would have remembered my mom, she went to Fairview Baptist Church with you and your mom ! You taught my youngest daughter at Bowie,her name is Missy Stimpson ! She married a soldier and had two kids ! My mother passed in Amarillo in 2018 ! My wife passed two days after my mom on september 15th,2018 from a stroke ! I didn’t get to go to my mom’s funeral due to tending to my wife,Mamie’s funeral in Cape Coral,Florida ! Anyway,Mamie and my Mom’s death two days apart ! I read about your husband’s passing ! Paula,my heart goes out to you ! May god be with you ! The next time i get to Amarillo,i will look you up ! I still see you as my little childhood sweetheart ! Life is short, cherish it !

  3. Paula we are so sorry for your loss although we’ve only met you once or twice we’ve always thought about your dad all these years and his knowledge he taught us the years we visited him and your mother. We always liked his humor and his laugh Broken Arrow,Ok

  4. Paula; Sorry to hear of your loss: Our love and sympathy to you

    Ray Martin & Victoria Thompson

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