Paul V. Gomilla

Paul V. Gomilla, of Hammond, Louisiana, passed away at his home on Saturday, December 10, 2022, at the age of 99. He was born on November 13, 1923, in New Orleans, Louisiana, the son of the late Joseph Gomilla and Antonino "Lena" Cerniglia Gomilla.

Paul was married to his first wife, Hazel, for more than fifty years and she predeceased him on April 9, 2000. Paul subsequently married Sylvia Woods on October 13, 2001, the mother of Coyt, Larry, and Rhonda Hodges, each of whom provided great assistance to their mother during Paul's final days.

Paul is also survived by his nieces, Vita Haupers; nephews, Sam, Jimmy, and Johnny Gomilla; great nephew, Darren Gomilla; great nieces, Jo'el Jones and Michelle Benivedes; and a host of other great nieces and nephews.

Paul was a WWII combat veteran of the war in Europe. He was inducted into the Army on January 29, 1943 and entered the European Theater of Operations on October 18, 1943. He served in a Combat Engineering Unit and participated in the Normandy Invasion on D-Day, June 6, 1944. His unit also saw combat in Northern France, Rhineland, and Central Europe. Paul was wounded on December 8, 1944, for which he was awarded the Purple Heart. He often expressed a special pride in having received such an award and was proud for the service he rendered to his country. He also received the WWII Victory Medal among other awards.

Paul was a staunch individualist who trusted his own ability and preferred to not rely on others. As an example of this, he began and ended his military career as a Private. He was approached many times with offers of promotions. His response was that he wanted to be responsible for his own actions and did not wish to supervise or bear responsibility for what others did.

Paul was honorably discharged on November 29, 1945 and entered training to become a Machinist which he excelled in this profession. He was very gifted and it became common knowledge in the community that he could repair most anything mechanical. He leaves many examples of his talent for creativity.

Paul was quiet, soft-spoken, and avoided undue attention to himself. He will be sorely missed by all who knew ad loved him. We want to thank Tammy Cox for her tremendous assistance in the care for Paul during his final days.

Family and friends will be received at Harry McKneely & Son Funeral Home, 2000 N. Morrison Blvd, Hammond, Louisiana 70401 on Thursday, December 15, 2022 from 11:00 am until 12:00 pm.

A Graveside Service with military honors will be held at Rose Memorial Park Cemetery Mausoleum in Hammond, on Thursday at 12:30 pm.

An on-line guest book is available at www.harrymckneely.com.