Paul Leon McClair was born in Carrollton, MO, on March 15, 1946. The first born of Paul McClair, Jr. and Dora Miller McClair, he joined two siblings from his mother's previous union and later became big brother to three adoring sisters.

Paul started his education at The Abraham Lincoln Elementary School for Colored Children before integration took over and sent him to Root Elementary School and Carrollton High School. After graduation, he enlisted in the US Army and headed to basic training in Fort Leonard Wood, MO in 1965. He completed two stints of active duty, retiring as a Sergeant in 1972. Along the way, Sergeant McClair made stops in Ft. Lewis (Washington), Ft. Riley (Kansas), Fort Collins (Colorado), Fort Benning (Georgia) and Ft. Devens (Massachusetts), as well as holding an assignment in Germany. In addition, he did two tours in Vietnam, where he survived mine fields, snipers, poisonous snakes, agent orange and other atrocities that war brings.

While in Massachusetts, he met and married Carolyn Watters. They cherished two daughters, Darnelle and Nicole, who made him a happy and proud grandfather and great-grandfather. That union ended in divorce and he later moved to Kansas City and married Cora Mitchell, with whom they celebrated their love with her children and grandchildren.

Paul enjoyed cooking for himself and his family, and took his passion to Perkins Restaurants and Bakery where he worked at various stores from 1986 to 2018 when he became too ill to make the trip to Independence and dish up his culinary delights.

Since retirement, he traveled whenever the mood hit him, making frequent visits throughout the East Coast and New England with his sisters and nephews. One of his "trips on a whim" was to visit his daughters in Worcester, MA, and his sister in New York – where on September 11, 2001, he was headed to the World Trade Center to take photos before he got a frantic call from his daughter saying a plane had left Boston and crashed into the very building he was going. Had his daughter not wanted a Southern breakfast and his brother-in-law agreed to cook it, this story may have ended a lot differently. The retired Sergeant's first reaction was to arm up and protect his family and his country, but he, like millions of others, was glued in front of the TV wondering how he could help.

Paul McClair leaves to cherish his memory: wife Cora McClair and her children and grandchildren; daughters Darnelle McClair Jackson and her son William Jackson and Nicole McClair-Wells (Michael) and children Monique Raison-McClair Rankin and Shayne, Denzel and Courtney McClair; 14 great grandchildren; sisters Bessie Howard, Josephine McClair and Carolyn McClair (Wayne Stokeling); a host of nieces and nephews that he loved and treated as his own children; friend Debbie Washington and her children and grandchildren; and man's best friend, his beloved Chihuahua, also named Debbie. He was preceded in death by his parents, Paul and Dora McClair, his brother Ollie Herndon and sister Dorothy McClair-Tatum.

A soldier by commission and in life, Sergeant Paul McClair fought his health challenges with dignity, grace and humor. While he earned his stripes in the Army, he was happiest to be a soldier in the Army of the Lord.

Funeral services Monday, March 16, 2020, 11:00 a.m. at Duane E. Harvey Funeral Directors. Interment Leavenworth National Cemetery. Visitation 10:00-11:00 a.m. at the chapel. Service conducted by Duane E. Harvey Funeral Directors. Condolences may be shared on website.