BELLOWS FALLS, Vt. – Longtime local resident Paul Kane, who was born in Bellows Falls in 1952 and grew up in North Walpole, N.H., (also Palatka, Fla.), recently passed away peacefully at his home in Newfane, Vt.
After graduating from high school, Paul attended Northeastern University in Boston; and New England College in both Henniker, N.H., and Arundel, Sussex, England, where he majored in psychology and sociology. Upon graduating from college and after returning to the states, Paul launched a successful career in social services with the Department of Social Services in South Carolina.
In the late 1970s, Paul then decided to tackle a master’s degree, attending the Graduate School of Social Work at New York University, and then Georgia State University in Atlanta, while continuing his career in social work, counseling, and corrections.
After returning to Vermont and marrying Marie (Madore) Stowell, who preceded him in death, Paul launched his own business by opening PK’s Irish Pub in 1988, located on Westminster Street in Bellows Falls. After over 30 years of growing the business into one of the more successful establishments on The Square, he decided to sell the popular bar and eatery to another local entrepreneur, Brian Joy.
“There was a gentleman outside of Vermont that was also interested in the space, but it would no longer be PK’s, and Paul really wanted to find someone that would keep it the tradition that it had become,” Joy stated in a recent interview. “I think it’s really cool that he passed up a far more lucrative deal in order to keep the pub owned locally and have someone with local roots take it into the future.
“It’s really an honor. I loved this place when it first opened, and used to visit my uncle when he worked there in the late 80s and early 90s. So many people I know have always called PK’s their hometown pub, their home away from home. To be able to tell Paul that it will always be PK’s really meant a lot to me…and it means even more now.
“Paul was always this ‘larger than life’ persona to me. He was someone that everyone knew and everyone liked, but it was the behind the scenes stuff – that I got a little window into the past few years – learning about 35 years at PK’s and the stories Paul left behind that really made me respect what he built. He was always willing to help – donating to every school and community fundraiser that came through the door – and never asking for credit. He will be dearly missed by so many.”
This writer remembers Paul as a loyal friend, quick to reach out when you needed a sympathetic ear, advice, or a helping hand. He was always interested in my writing endeavors and how my family was doing. Mr. PK will always be missed and fondly remembered.