Remembering Paul Puncher

“A gentleman” and “a man of integrity”.

Those are some of the words being used to describe Paul Puncher.

The longtime Waterloo business owner passed away in late September at age 78, following a lengthy illness, and was laid to rest this past weekend during a private ceremony.

Puncher was in business for 50 years before retiring in 2011.

He got his start in menswear in 1961 at Washburn's Menswear in downtown Kitchener, a business he would eventually purchase from owner Bob Washburn.

Puncher would keep the name for two years, before changing to his own in 1977.

Paul Puncher Men's Clothier has been operating out of the old train station on Regina Street in Uptown Waterloo since the late 1990s.

“In the menswear industry, he will be remembered as a 'classy man', again, 'great integrity' and 'an innovator'. Those were the common themes offered by suppliers, manufacturers and clients who reached out to me.” his son Scott told KitchenerToday.com on Tuesday.

Scott Puncher joined the business in 1981, then purchased it from his dad in 2006.

He said one of the biggest lessons he learned from his father was work ethic, “Nobody worked harder than my father in building a business from nothing. Equally number one lesson, do things right … don't take the easy road, take the right road even though it will be the more difficult road, and always operate and conduct yourself with integrity.”

In addition to building a business, Paul Puncher also coached Triple A baseball in Waterloo, helped get the Waterloo Tigers back in Intercounty League Baseball, and also volunteered with the Uptown Waterloo BIA.