Paul P. Ringsmith

• Lieutenant
• Served: November 9, 1942 – January 21, 1949
• World War II
• Medical Surgeon

Deceased May 25, 1982. Interred in Evergreen Cemetery, Presque Isle, Wisconsin.

During World War II, he enlisted in the Navy on November 9, 1942 in Chicago, Ill. The Navy was going to train him to be a medical doctor, and sent him to Oberlin College for his undergraduate degree. He also attained Apprentice Seaman V-12, and received an Honorable Service Button.

When WW II ended in 1945, he was enrolled in Western Reserve University for medical school. He was released from active duty, and entered into the Naval Reserves on September 26th, 1946 as Ensign.

On March 26th, 1947, he received a letter that he was being appointed as Acting Assistant Surgeon at the rank of Lieutenant, USNR upon graduation.

On January 21, 1949, he received a letter honorably discharging him from the U.S. Naval Reserve. He set up a family medical practice in Hanoverton, Ohio from 1952 thru 1978.

As a boy, Paul would visit his grandparents, Frank and Mary Ringsmith, who lived in Wakefield, Michigan. His father Oliver had graduated from Wakefield High School. Paul’s grandparents had purchased some land in 1914 from the lumber company, on Katinka Lake in Winegar (now known as Presque Isle). Frank purchased a burned out dining car from the lumber company train, and pulled it by a team of horses from Marenisco to Katinka Lake one winter. They renovated it for their summer cottage. Paul would spend some time at Katinka on his visits to his grandparents. His love for Katinka was strong, as he spent his entire adult life making near annual visits.