Paul James Carta, age 96, of Three Rivers, passed away peacefully on Sunday, November 17, 2024 at Vibrant Life Senior Living in Kalamazoo.
He was born April 13, 1928 in Three Rivers, the son of Peter and Katherine (Choinacky) (Carta) Kauffman. His father came to the U.S. from Italy at a young age. His maternal grandparents were from Poland. Paul was very close with them growing up, and learned from his grandfather how to garden, build and repair just about anything. He graduated from Three Rivers High School with the Class of 1947.
Paul had a long and varied work history. His first job was picking strawberries at Kellogg Farms in Three Rivers. He went on to work on the railroad, then at Studebaker Corporation in South Bend. Eventually, he worked at Peterson Spring and Dayco Corporations in Three Rivers. He retired from Johnson Corporation (now Kadant Johnson) in Three Rivers in 1993…