Paul "Shorty" George Florian

Paul “Shorty” George Florian, 70, went to be with Jesus on March 29, 2015, at CarolinaEast Medical Center.

He was born May 2, 1944 in Goldsboro, NC to George & Stella Phillips Florian, both deceased. They moved to Wyckoff, NJ when he was two years old, where he grew up.

“Shorty” started playing drums when he was 10 years old and later years, as a long-haul driver, carried his sticks with him all over the U.S. creating the opportunity to play with numerous artists. After hauling, he worked with maintenance with the Civil Service, Cherry Point. He was a member of the Alliance Pentecostal Holiness Church and was the drummer for Jubilee singers for 11 years as well as various other bands throughout the years.

He is survived by his wife of 16 years, Irene Rice Florian of the home; daughters, Tammy F. Shimlley (Tim) and Kimberly Florian, all of Newport; stepdaughter, Gail B. Zechner (Chris) of Billerica, MA; step-son, Chris Ballance Jr. (Kelly) of Lowland; brother, James Florian of Little Falls, NJ; sisters, Brenda Koman (Wayne) of Liberty, NC, Georgette Bower (Jeff) of Winston-Salem, NC and Ann Brauer (Paul) of Kansas; 11 grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.

His memorial service will be held Saturday, June 13th at 11 a.m. at Bryant Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. Don Zimmerman and the Rev. Bud Hopkins officiating.

In lieu of flowers the family requested memorial contributions be made to Bryant Funeral Home, PO Box 99, Alliance, NC 28509 in memory of Paul “Shorty” Florian.