Paul was born October 18, 1953, in Louisville, MS. He was a graduate of Louisville High School, and Mississippi College, where he earned his degree in physics. He retired after 33 years as a physicist at the Waterways Experiment Station in Vicksburg, MS. He was a member of Macedonia Baptist Church. He was preceded in death by his parents, Ruth and Arnold Reed.
He is survived by a sister, Alma Louise (Randall) Dillon of Vicksburg, MS; and a brother, Davis Allan (Susan) Reed of Oak Ridge, TN.