Lincoln County Coroner Proulx announces his retirement
TINA L. SCOTT
EDITOR
Lincoln County Coroner, Paul Proulx, announces he will retire after 16 years of holding that office.
Proulx was elected as Coroner in November 2006 and took office in 2007. He will officially retire Jan. 2, 2023.
A history of public service
Proulx brought a long history of public service to the position of Coroner, and when he retires from the position, he will continue to serve in the public interest in a number of other roles.
In July of 1970, then Lincoln County Sheriff Alfred Giese selected Proulx as a Deputy Sheriff, and Proulx attended the very first recruit school at what was then called North Central Technical Institute, now known as Northcentral Technical College (NTC). [Proulx would later go on to serve as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of NTC.]
In 1970, Proulx was assigned as a Deputy Sheriff to the Patrol Division and rose to the rank of Sergeant in 1975. In 1992, he was promoted to the newly-created-role of Administrative Lieutenant under then Sheriff Harvey Woodward. And in 1996, Proulx ran for Sheriff against long-time incumbent, Ron Krueger, and won. Proulx served as the Lincoln County Sheriff until 2001.
Proulx also became actively involved in the City of Merrill. In 1994, Proulx was appointed to the Merrill Park and Recreation Commission. During his years of service on the Commission, that group planned and guided the construction of the Merrill Area Recreation Complex (MARC).
Proulx was elected as Fourth District Alderman and served on the Merrill Common Council from 2004 to 2010.
In 2006, he became a member of the North Central Technical College’s Board of Trustees where he currently serves as Vice-Chairman and previously served as Secretary/Treasurer and three terms as Chairman.
He has an Associates Degree in Criminal Justice from NTC and has also attended UW-Stevens Point, UW-Madison, and Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill.
In 2016, Proulx was appointed to fill a vacancy on the Merrill Area Public Schools (MAPS) Board of Education (BOE) and served until 2020 when he resigned due to personal obligations. In 2022, Proulx ran for another term and was elected to the MAPS BOE.
Proulx has been a member of the Lincoln County Sportsman’s Club since 1972 and instructed courses for outdoor sports including ATV, snowmobiles, and boats, and was recognized in 2019 for 40 years of instructing youth in hunters safety.
Proulx is active at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church as a Eucharist minister, a member of the Parish Council, and a member of the Cemetery Committee. He has also been a member of the Fr. Renee Menard Post of the Knights of Columbus for more than 30 years.
More time with family
Proulx isn’t going into complete retirement as, in addition to his volunteer work, he will continue to operate Proulx Lockworks, a business he has run for many years. But he is looking forward to more time to just relax without being on call.
Being Coroner is a 24/7 on-call job, and Proulx said he really appreciates the Deputy Coroners he worked with who provided for much-needed time off during his tenure. Chief Deputy Coroner Scott Krause and Deputy Coroners Tadd Wegner, Valerie Caylor, Molly Schult, and from Tomahawk, Margo Zoromski, are all a part of his team, and he appreciates all of their contributions, Proulx said.
But, Proulx said, now it is time for him to be more present for his family on a more consistent basis, after years of being on-call and working long hours. He said he never could have served as he did without the support of his family and most importantly, his wife, Cheryl, with whom he will celebrate 50 years of marriage this fall.
“Being the spouse or child of a cop isn’t easy,” Proulx said. “However, my wife and kids always stepped in to fill roles I couldn’t in order to allow me to serve and advance my career. I am sincerely looking forward to spending my golden years with my wife, my three wonderful daughters, and my six grandchildren.”
Lincoln County Coroner Proulx announces his retirement
TINA L. SCOTT
EDITOR
Lincoln County Coroner, Paul Proulx, announces he will retire after 16 years of holding that office.
Proulx was elected as Coroner in November 2006 and took office in 2007. He will officially retire Jan. 2, 2023.
A history of public service
Proulx brought a long history of public service to the position of Coroner, and when he retires from the position, he will continue to serve in the public interest in a number of other roles.
In July of 1970, then Lincoln County Sheriff Alfred Giese selected Proulx as a Deputy Sheriff, and Proulx attended the very first recruit school at what was then called North Central Technical Institute, now known as Northcentral Technical College (NTC). [Proulx would later go on to serve as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of NTC.]
In 1970, Proulx was assigned as a Deputy Sheriff to the Patrol Division and rose to the rank of Sergeant in 1975. In 1992, he was promoted to the newly-created-role of Administrative Lieutenant under then Sheriff Harvey Woodward. And in 1996, Proulx ran for Sheriff against long-time incumbent, Ron Krueger, and won. Proulx served as the Lincoln County Sheriff until 2001.
Proulx also became actively involved in the City of Merrill. In 1994, Proulx was appointed to the Merrill Park and Recreation Commission. During his years of service on the Commission, that group planned and guided the construction of the Merrill Area Recreation Complex (MARC).
Proulx was elected as Fourth District Alderman and served on the Merrill Common Council from 2004 to 2010.
In 2006, he became a member of the North Central Technical College’s Board of Trustees where he currently serves as Vice-Chairman and previously served as Secretary/Treasurer and three terms as Chairman.
He has an Associates Degree in Criminal Justice from NTC and has also attended UW-Stevens Point, UW-Madison, and Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill.
In 2016, Proulx was appointed to fill a vacancy on the Merrill Area Public Schools (MAPS) Board of Education (BOE) and served until 2020 when he resigned due to personal obligations. In 2022, Proulx ran for another term and was elected to the MAPS BOE.
Proulx has been a member of the Lincoln County Sportsman’s Club since 1972 and instructed courses for outdoor sports including ATV, snowmobiles, and boats, and was recognized in 2019 for 40 years of instructing youth in hunters safety.
Proulx is active at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church as a Eucharist minister, a member of the Parish Council, and a member of the Cemetery Committee. He has also been a member of the Fr. Renee Menard Post of the Knights of Columbus for more than 30 years.
More time with family
Proulx isn’t going into complete retirement as, in addition to his volunteer work, he will continue to operate Proulx Lockworks, a business he has run for many years. But he is looking forward to more time to just relax without being on call.
Being Coroner is a 24/7 on-call job, and Proulx said he really appreciates the Deputy Coroners he worked with who provided for much-needed time off during his tenure. Chief Deputy Coroner Scott Krause and Deputy Coroners Tadd Wegner, Valerie Caylor, Molly Schult, and from Tomahawk, Margo Zoromski, are all a part of his team, and he appreciates all of their contributions, Proulx said.
But, Proulx said, now it is time for him to be more present for his family on a more consistent basis, after years of being on-call and working long hours. He said he never could have served as he did without the support of his family and most importantly, his wife, Cheryl, with whom he will celebrate 50 years of marriage this fall.
“Being the spouse or child of a cop isn’t easy,” Proulx said. “However, my wife and kids always stepped in to fill roles I couldn’t in order to allow me to serve and advance my career. I am sincerely looking forward to spending my golden years with my wife, my three wonderful daughters, and my six grandchildren.”