Hatcher & Saddler Funeral Home

Paul W Bastien

Paul William Bastien, 92, passed away November 20, 2024, at his residence, surrounded by his family after a short illness.

Born in Stephenson, Michigan, December 26, 1931, to Peter and Ada Bastien, he attended Stephenson Grammar School Brainerd Junior College in Brainerd, Minnesota, Cumberland University Law School in Lebanon. Tennessee, Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

Paul retired from State Farm Insurance Company after 39 years as a Claims Adjustor in Glasgow and Bowling Green. He was a veteran of the U.S. Army, serving in the Korean War, 1954-1956.

Paul is survived by his wife of more than 70 years, Frances, and their three sons, Charles of Las Vegas and Florida, David of Glasgow, and James of Clarksville, Tennessee. He is also survived by five grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins. He was preceded in death by a son, Chris,

The grandchildren include David’s children, Jonas, an attorney in Lexington, Ky., Juliana, a graduate student at George Mason University, in Fairfax, Va., and Isabella, a junior at the University of Louisville, in Louisville, Ky. and children of Chris, a graduate of Glasgow High School, Centre College and the University of Kentucky Law School, Max, a graduate of the University of Colorado at Boulder, and Whitney, of North Carolina.  Max and his wife, Maya, have a daughter, Makenzie, and Whitney of Charlotte, North Carolina, has a daughter, Willow and is expecting her second child.

Throughout his life, Paul was involved in his community and St. Helen’s Church. He served in various leadership roles, including as Grand Knight of the local Knights of Columbus organization, President of the local Optimist Club and Lt. Governor of the Kentucky State Board for Trooper Island, a Kentucky Colonel by two Governors, Gov. Louie Nunn and Governor Martha Layne Collins, both given for his work establishing Trooper Island. He was also active in local and state historical organizations, serving as President of the Barren County Historical Society. Paul was also active as a volunteer Track and Field coach for Glasgow and Barren County High Schools while his sons were in school and a Boy Scout Leader. He was also a member of Friends of the Library.

Paul enjoyed playing the piano and studying history but he also liked to write humorous poems about family events. He published a small booklet about his grandchildren called “Gran’s House” which detailed the exploits the grandchildren were involved in while visiting the family farm.

Visitation will be from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Monday, November 25, at the Hatcher & Saddler Funeral Home with a funeral mass at 10 a.m. Tuesday, November 26, at St. Helen’s Catholic Church, followed by a lunch at the St. Helen’s Catholic Parish Center. Military honors will be provided at the cemetery by Glasgow Chapter 20 DAV.