The Coffee Hour — Remembering Paul Devantier

For several decades the Rev. Dr. Paul W. Devantier served both the church and his neighbors graciously. You may recognize his voice from the long-running program By the Way. The Lord, in His infinite wisdom and mercy, called His servant, Paul, to eternal rest on Nov. 30, 2025. Today, we give thanks to God and remember Rev. Dr. Paul W. Devantier. Joanie Harwell (former KFUO Radio Director of Development), Jenny Williams (former KFUO Radio Lead Producer), and John Devantier (son of Paul and Ellen Devantier) join Andy and Sarah for this special episode. Joanie and Jenny talk about when they first met Paul, how his service and leadership impacted their lives and roles at KFUO, how technology and innovation played a role during Paul’s leadership for KFUO, and how Paul’s leadership shaped the future of KFUO Radio. John shares his memories of his father’s service to the church, KFUO, and LCMS Communications. He also shares stories of his parents’ role as foster parents and what life looked like with a full house of children. Finally, John shares how his father’s life of service has been an example for him.

Find Paul Devantier’s obituary at legacy.com/us/obituaries/name/paul-devantier-obituary?id=60188942
Watch Paul Devantier share about KFUO’s 100-year legacy in the Centennial Documentary at youtu.be/T97rxnzYqcA?si=AmcQwUDEdLu5E3kP
Hear Paul Devantier share stories about his time at KFUO Radio at youtu.be/Y8aPCTKgAww?si=fcaqCuNyWQkm5uqf
Watch the video about the Supreme Court case at youtu.be/m5puWeYv7Mg?si=b1YARi2Uo0puALjW

As you grab your morning coffee (and pastry, let’s be honest), join hosts Andy Bates and Sarah Gulseth as they bring you stories of the intersection of Lutheran life and a secular world. Catch real-life stories of mercy work of the LCMS and partners, updates from missionaries across the ocean, and practical talk about how to live boldly Lutheran. Have a topic you’d like to hear about on The Coffee Hour? Contact us at: listener@kfuo.org.

Today’s episode of The Coffee Hour is underwritten in part by Concordia University Wisconsin and Ann Arbor. You can learn more about Concordia University Wisconsin at cuw.edu and Concordia University Ann Arbor at cuaa.edu. Live Uncommon.

Sarah Gulseth

A proud Michigan native and fan of anything with the Mitten State on it, Digital Media Manager Sarah Gulseth is also a lover of historical war movies and anything with the label PBS Masterpiece. An avid bicyclist and women’s biking advocate, she rides her bike to work year-round and has the massive bike clothing and accessory collection to prove it. If it’s the weekend, she and her husband Luther are probably out riding bikes, or finding the next awesome coffee shop to frequent, or rehearsing for the next choir concert. You may also find her down a new rabbit hole on Google, researching the latest random fact she found on social media, while eating an unhealthy amount of apples (Macintosh from Michigan, of course) and raw almond butter.