Paul Neslen Scherbel (October 21, 1917 – October, 22, 2015)

Paul Neslen Scherbel (October 21, 1917 – October, 22, 2015)

Paul Neslen Scherbel (October 21, 1917 - October, 22, 2015)

Paul Neslen Scherbel (October 21, 1917 – October, 22, 2015)

BIG PINEY — Paul Neslen Scherbel, son of Paul Scherbel and Annette Neslen, was born October 21, 1917 at Utah Holy Cross Hospital in Salt Lake City.

He passed away October, 22, 2015 the day after his 98th birthday.

He grew up in Salt Lake City attending Lowell Elementary and Bryant Junior High.  He graduated from West High School at 16 and attended the University of Utah for one year.  After working for the Civilian Conservation Corps for one year he enrolled in the School of Forestry at Utah State Agricultural College (now Utah State University), graduating in 1940. After college, Paul worked for the Forest Service and the Soil Conservation Service.

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In 1942, Paul enlisted in the U.S. Navy and attended midshipman school at Columbia University in New York.  

Assigned to USS Pakana as communications officer, Paul served in the South Pacific on this fleet tug and, did rescue work at Kwajalein, Eniwetok, Guam, Saipan, Tinian, Okinawa, Ulithi serving as navigation officer and executive officer.  

At the end of World War II he was assigned to the USS Kennison as communications officer as a lieutenant. He retired from active duty in 1946 and went back to work for the Soil Conservation Service and chose to work in Big Piney, Wyoming.  He was active in the Naval Reserve for the next 40+ years and retired as a Commander.  

On V-J day, 2 September 1945, he bumped into Rachel Anderson on Main Street in Salt Lake City and asked her for a date.  They were married June 26, 1946 in the Salt Lake temple.

In 1951 he studied the required material then applied for a Surveyor’s license so he could help with the legal aspects of water rights. The day he received his license he was contacted by Arthur Belfer of Belfer Petroleum Company and began to locate drilling wells.  

He then incorporated his land surveying company, Surveyor Scherbel, Ltd. and continued to work with local ranchers on water rights and other land related issues as well work for oil companies as petroleum production increased in the area. He registered the brand for the Saturday-Sunday ranch he hoped to buy, but that dream was never realized.

In 1955, he retired early from the SCS and the brand became his surveying trademark for all his monuments and stationery.

He devoted the remainder of his working life to the profession of land surveying and often planned family outings to look for section corners and other important survey monuments. As part of his surveying career he was member of several professional organization including ACSM, WACES,  WES, ASCE, NSPS. He was a charter member of the Professional Land Surveyors of Wyoming and served in several leadership positions. He was instrumental in initiating efforts by land surveyors throughout the country to locate, re-monument and dedicate many of the most significant historical surveying monuments such as state corners and the initial points from which the surveys of the federal lands began.  

He served on the Wyoming Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Professional Land Surveyors.  He served as County Surveyor for thirty years for Lincoln and Teton Counties and as County Surveyor for 67 years for Sublette County.  He authored about twenty land-related amendments which became part of the Wyoming Statutes.

Paul was very active in community affairs. He was instrumental in obtaining funding for the fairgrounds and the landfill. He helped create the Joint Powers Airport Board, the Fire Department Joint Powers Board (as well as well as obtaining funding for their site and building), and helped convince the County to provide police services for the towns of Big Piney and Marbleton.

He was instrumental in obtaining funding for both the Marbleton and Pinedale Clinics. He proposed and paved the way for annexing the land between Big Piney and Marbleton so the two towns could be contiguous and helped develop their planning and zoning master plans. He also helped develop the mini parks in Big Piney, obtain the land for the library and museum and helped obtain additional land and water for the Plainview cemetery.

He was mayor of the Town of Big Piney for two terms. Active in the Republican Party at the local and state level, he served as party treasurer for many years.

He served on the Columbia River Basin Commission, and on the Wyoming Board of Geographical Names.

Paul was a faithful member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and served in various teaching and leadership positions throughout his life. He was active in the Boy Scouts of America and received the Silver Beaver Award.

He was preceded in death by his wife Rachel (Anderson).  He is survived by his three sons: Paul A. (Geri), Scott (Elsa) and Marlowe (Connie) and one daughter Annette (Bob) Priddis.  He also has 32 grandchildren and 77 great-grandchildren so far.

Funeral services for Paul will be at noon on October 31st at the LDS Church in Big Piney, Wyoming.  Viewing will be held October 30th from 6:00 to 8:00 PM at the Southwest Senior Center in Marbleton.  There will also be a viewing prior to the funeral services at 10:00 AM at the LDS church.

Burial with full military honors will take place following the funeral services at the Plainview Cemetery with a dinner for family and friends to follow at the Senior Center.

In lieu of flowers, Paul requested donations be sent to either the Professional Land Surveyors of Wyoming Scholarship Fund or the Southwest Sublette County Pioneer Center in Marbleton, Wyoming.