Funeral Services for Paul Hite, age 82, of the Sunk Cane Community, will be conducted on Thursday, September 24, 2026, at 11:00 AM from The Chapel of Goff Funeral Home. Rev. David Harris and Rev. Josh Harris will officiate with interment to follow in the Love Joy Cemetery. Mr. Hite was born on Sunday, March 19, 1944, in Livingston, Tennessee, to the late John Riley and Della Mae Phillips Hite. He passed away on Monday, September 21, 2026, at his home. Paul was a husband, dad, Papaw, and more recently, a proud Pepaw to his great grandchildren. He was a man who loved deeply, worked hard, believed strongly, and left a lasting mark on everyone fortunate enough to know him. He was a hardworking man in every sense of the word. He spent many years building bridges, working with BH Phillips Inc. for 45 years and later retiring from Wright Brothers—something that seems especially fitting for a man who spent his life building things that lasted. He believed that hard work was one of the most important things a person could give to this world. He didn’t believe in sitting around when there was something that needed to be done, and if there was work to be done, Paul was usually the one who was willing to do it. His faith was a cornerstone of his life. Paul loved Jesus and loved his church, Love Joy Missionary Baptist Church. He was known for leading singing, using his voice to worship and to help others worship too. His faith wasn’t simply something he talked about; it was woven into the way he lived, loved, and served others. Paul was strong—strong in body, strong in conviction, and strong in the way he cared for his family. He loved being outside and could turn a patch of dirt into something beautiful. His garden was something to be admired, and he took pride in watching things grow from the work of his own hands. He understood the value of patience, tending, and hard work, and perhaps those were lessons he carried into every part of his life. But if you knew Paul, you knew he was never all seriousness. He loved to make people laugh. He had a special way of aggravating and joking with the people he loved, and if Paul picked on you, teased you, or gave you a hard time, that was often his way of letting you know that you mattered to him. His humor, his teasing, and his unmistakable personality will be some of the things his family and friends miss the most. And then there were the simple things Paul loved: an ice-cold Diet Coke and an Oreo Blizzard from the Dairy Queen. Those little favorites became part of who he was, and they are the kind of memories that will bring a smile even through the tears. Paul’s greatest legacy will not be the bridges he built, the gardens he grew, the love he had for mowing his grass, or even the years he spent working with his hands. It will be the people he loved, the faith he shared, the laughter he gave, and the example he left behind. He leaves behind a family who will carry his memory in countless ways—in the sound of a familiar song, in a garden growing in the summer sun, in a cold Diet Coke, in an Oreo Blizzard, and in every laugh that follows a little teasing. Paul spent his life building bridges for others. Now, we can only imagine the joy of knowing that the bridge he needed most has already been built for him. He loved Jesus. He loved his family. He worked hard. He laughed often. He loved well. And he will be deeply, deeply missed. He is survived by his daughter and son-in-law, Angie and Roger Bilbrey of Monterey, TN; son and daughter-in-law, Anthony and Lisa Hite of the Sunk Cane Community; grandchildren, Caleb (Bailee) Bilbrey, Taylor (Shaun) Hale, Makenzie (Zeb) Randolph, Courtney (Jesse) Raines, Allie Hite (Wyatt Hargis), and Parker Bilbrey; great grandchildren, Keeley Hale, Oaklynn Randolph, Joy Bilbrey, Gunner Randolph, Hattie Raines, Boone Randolph, and Josiah Bilbrey. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife, Joyce Stout Hite; siblings, Ortha Sisco, Ernest Hite, Oma Phillips, and infant sister, Geneva Hite. The family will receive friends at Goff Funeral Home on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, from 5:00 PM until 8:00 PM. Arrangements and Care provided by D.M. Goff Funeral Home, Inc., 205 East Cleveland Avenue, Monterey, Tennessee 38574, Phone, 931.839.2311.