Paul Cherry, Proud 'Girl Dad,' Took 7th in the Indianapolis 500, was a Toolmaker at General Motors

Paul Michael Cherry, age 90, passed away peacefully on Monday, July 13, 2026, in Saline, Michigan, after a brief illness. Born in Detroit on September 3, 1935, he was the son of the late Julian Thomas Cherry and the late Frances Eleanor (née Zielinski) Cherry.

He is lovingly survived by his wife, Nancy Konopka; daughters Susan Cherry (Jeff Freidhoff) and Paula (David) Koch; and grandsons Harrison and Carter Koch. He is also survived by his brother Thomas (late Joan) Cherry, and by many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his brothers Jim (late Frances) Cherry, Michael (late Charlotte), and sister Gloria (late “Bud”) Aikens.

Growing up in Detroit in the 1940s, Paul was a boy full of curiosity and enthusiasm. He loved studying military aircraft and kept a scrapbook of his favorite Red Wings players, listened to The Shadow and The Lone Ranger on the radio, snuck into Motor City Speedway with his brother Mike, and shot marbles with the neighborhood kids. He spent many happy summers on his Uncle Boots’ farm in Rochester, or in Bay City with his aunts.

Paul attended Marion Law Elementary School, where fate intervened early — it was in first grade that he first met the future love of his life, Nancy. At a school assembly, a teacher picked Paul and Nancy as a cute couple. It was a sign of things to come.

As a teenager in the 1950s, Paul soaked up everything Detroit had to offer. He listened to the Four Aces, the Four Lads, and Hank Williams; worked on cars; went to drive-ins; enjoyed malts at Richard’s Drive-In; and danced the nights away. At Pershing High School, he excelled at math and science, which were lifelong passions. He went by the nickname “Ace” and was voted “Eyes to Envy” in his senior class mock elections. After school, he spent time in the Army Reserves and excelled at sharpshooting.

Though Paul and Nancy attended Pershing together, romance didn’t bloom until their twenties. Paul was working at a gas station that happened to be Nancy’s bus stop on her way home from work. Summoning his courage one day, he offered her a ride home in his red 1947 Ford Super Deluxe convertible with white leather seats — and the rest was history. They were married in October 1959 at St. Louis the King Church.

The couple moved to Warren in 1962, before the birth of their first daughter, Susan. Paula followed two years later. Paul was immensely proud of his daughters, who were the light of his life. He encouraged their interests in science, worked overtime to put both through college, and cheered them on every step of the way. As the family math whiz, he'd help with homework even after long shifts — the girls would leave any problems they needed help with on the kitchen table, and he’d work through them, leaving detailed written explanations of the solutions in his perfect drafting handwriting. He was a proud “girl dad” through and through, always rooting for girls in any competition.

Paul had a rare gift for precision and problem-solving. Whatever he didn’t already know how to do, he studied until he engineered a solution. He completed most of the projects on the family home himself, often devising clever improvements along the way. The model cars, planes, and trains he built were flawless. His cars were showroom-clean and finely tuned, and his workshop always had his favorite music playing in the background ranging from country and western, to Pavarotti and Chopin.

Summer was Paul’s season. He groomed his lawn to perfection, grew bumper crops of Big Boy tomatoes, perfected his golf game, worked on his tan, and spent evenings stargazing. He loved a good thunderstorm and, ever resourceful, recorded crickets on cassette tape to play back during the long Michigan winters. He canned pickles using Grandpa Cherry’s kosher dill recipe, made his own sauerkraut, and put up tomatoes from the garden each fall. His sunflowers and cannas were a source of particular pride.

An adventurous spirit, Paul loved long road trips and took the family out west, to Myrtle Beach, Florida, and Tennessee. He was an avid bowler and golfer, and was deeply involved in auto racing throughout his life. He helped his best friend, Steve Benovich, build and race sprint cars in the late 60’s and ‘70’s. A true-blue Detroit fan to the end, he cheered passionately for the Lions, Tigers, Red Wings, and University of Michigan. He added Ferris State and Michigan Tech to his roster after his daughters attended those schools. He was equally devoted to his grandsons, supporting them in baseball, track, cross country, rowing, and musical pursuits with equal enthusiasm. His Polish heritage was a source of great pride — polka dancing, listening to koledy at Christmas, and Polish cuisine were fixtures in the Cherry household. He was proud of his country, flying the Stars and Stripes in front of the house everyday.

Paul began his career around age 15 at Carl Forberg’s Tool and Die Shop on Groesbeck Highway in Detroit. Carl took him under his wing and taught him to build cars from the ground up, machining parts by hand to exacting specifications. Together, the team raced primarily in Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan; Carl even drove in the Indianapolis 500 for a couple of years, finishing seventh in 1951. They’d make the late-night drive home on back roads with old-time country radio for company. Carl trusted Paul to look after his boxer, Mugzy — and Paul loved the breed for the rest of his life. His own beloved Mugzy #2 joined the Cherry family in 1972.

In 1961, Paul entered the apprentice tool and die program at Fisher Body at the Warren Technical Center. After earning his journeyman’s certificate, he worked across several divisions of General Motors as a Skilled Trades Toolmaker, typically on prototypes of new GM vehicles. Among his proudest achievements was building the tooling for the Corvette bumper alongside Zora Arkus-Duntov, the legendary “Father of the Corvette.” Paul had a sharp eye for improvement and won numerous bonuses over the years for suggestions that saved the company money. He retired in 1996 to devote himself fully to his hobbies and family.

Paul delighted in sharing his life stories, hard-won lessons, and words of wisdom. He loved making people laugh, pulling pranks, and delivering “dad” jokes to the fond exasperation of everyone around him.

The family extends its deepest gratitude to the staff at Brecon Village and University of Michigan Hospitals for their exceptional and compassionate care.

Cremation has taken place. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Paul’s name may be made to the American Lung Association, American Lung Association Donation Processing Center P.O. Box 70360 Philadelphia, PA 19176-0360 or by visiting https://www.lung.org/get-involved/ways-to-give Donations may also be made to the Great Lakes Boxer Rescue, 5196 N. Vista Drive Sanford, MI 48657 or online by visiting https://awo.petstablished.com/online_donations/organization/1150902?pet…

To leave a memory you have of Paul or to sign his online guestbook please visit

https://www.rbfhsaline.com/obituaries/paul-cherry-2/#!/TributeWall

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