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Paul Joseph Gaither
04/25/1949 — 06/19/2026
From Kennewick, WA | Born in Sunnyside, WA
Graveside Service
Paul Joseph Gaither
Paul Joseph Gaither passed away at his Kennewick, Washington home on June 19, 2026, at the age of 77 after a long battle with cancer. Paul was born on April 25, 1949, in Sunnyside, Washington, to Emmett George Gaither and Rosemary Wilma Hagerty Gaither.
He graduated from Grandview High School, class of 1967 and from Lower Valley Auto Mechanical Technical School in 1972. His expertise and dedication led him to having a long, successful career which began as a Service Manager at Tip Top Chevrolet in Fairbanks, Alaska. For over 25 years, Paul was a dedicated member of the Battelle team at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). His roles as a research millwright, craft supervisor, and building manager were marked by his exceptional work ethic.
On August 25, 1979, Paul married Karla Lambie, in Richland, Washington. Together they enjoyed a passion for fishing, catching steelhead from the Columbia River and salmon and halibut from the waters off Homer and Sitka Alaska.
Paul was a devoted father to his children, Christine and Greg, and a proud grandfather to his beloved grandson, Seth. He was predeceased by his parents as well as his brothers, Thomas, Richard, and George.
A grave side service will be held at Einan’s Sunset Gardens at 11:00am this Friday, June 26, 2026.
My Dad was the nicest person I have ever known. He was my rock and I am going to miss him so much. He loved his grandson and wanted to show him the world. Dad will forever live on in our hearts and not a day will go by without thinking of him.
I love you Dad
I’ve known Paul since he started working for Battelle in 1978. We worked together for several years and kept in touch as our career paths changed. Paul retired a few years before me and after I retired we started getting together.
For the last 17 years, we would meet periodically in his shop to discuss a variety of topics over some Kokanee. At one time, we decided to add to our fun by attempting to fly an RC airplane in the backyard. This proved difficult for amateur pilots as we needed more space than was available. We switched to a helicopter as we thought it would need less space. This also proved to be a challenge for armatures as the wind was almost always blowing making it difficult to control. We had some exciting moments in our adventures into the world of flight. Once, the RC plane almost crashed through one of the bedroom windows. Only last minute bumbling on the controls caused it to miss the window and crash in the driveway. Paul was a good friend and I will truly miss spending time with him.
Guestbook for
Paul Joseph Gaither