Longtime Flathead Valley businessman and philanthropist Paul Wachholz has died at 89.  

Through his philanthropy, Wachholz made lasting contributions to education, entrepreneurship and the performing arts. His legacy includes the Paul D. Wachholz College Center and the Wachholz Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center at Flathead Valley Community College. Wachholz donated a combined $10.1 million toward the construction of the two centers. He also endowed a scholarship fund of nearly $100,000.

"Paul Wachholz's generosity has changed our community," Flathead Valley Community College President Jane Karas said. 

"Paul’s belief in FVCC and in the transformative power of community colleges has made things possible that we never would have imagined,” she continued. “The Wachholz College Center provides a place to gather, learn and connect. The Wachholz Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center is opening doors for students and fueling the entrepreneurial spirit that makes this valley so special. His impact reaches far beyond buildings and programs. It lives in the students whose paths have been changed and in the opportunities that now exist for our community. I am profoundly grateful to Paul for his trust in FVCC. We are honored to carry his legacy forward and committed to making sure his generosity continues to change lives for generations to come.” 

Since opening in 2022, the Wachholz College Center has brought musicians, speakers, artists and comedians from around the country — and the globe — to Kalispell. 

“Throughout my life, I have not valued money by its worth, but rather by what it can specifically be used for,” Wachholz said in 2018. “Investing in FVCC and the College Center is personally very gratifying to me, because it will become a focal point of the expanding college campus, bringing students and community members together."  

Through his contribution to the Wachholz Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center, which opened its doors in 2025, Wachholz wanted students to have a place to develop skills, access resources and make connections needed to launch careers and business ventures. 

“I want to help people be successful and allow them the opportunity like I had early in my life. It can feel like you’re out there alone, so with a center like this, you won’t be. The sky is the limit,” Wachholz said in 2023.   

One of his more recent philanthropic gifts was a $5 million donation to Stillwater Christian School, where his great-granddaughter was attending classes, to build its Early Learning Center, which is set to open in September for the 2026-27 school year.  

"I had the pleasure and blessing to know Paul for the last three to four years," Stillwater Head of School Laura McCollum said. "He was winsome, gregarious and joyful and shared the importance of faith, family and education in his life. He would tell stories of how these three things profoundly shaped his life, and they were things he believed in and was committed to."

"He was excited about giving to things that would outlast his lifetime, and in terms of our school, that it would have an eternal value and impact," McCollum said. "It was a beautiful mission..." 

WACHHOLZ'S BUSINESS ambitions began as a 9-year-old in his hometown of Wilson, Kansas. During his childhood, he ran newspaper routes for the Kansas City Star and Kansas City Times. When his family moved to Sterling, Colorado, a teenage Wachholz started a landscaping business. 

He attended Northeastern Junior College and transferred to the University of Northern Colorado, where he graduated in 1959 with a business degree, according to his obituary. 

Wachholz came to the Flathead in 1967 when his employer sent him to Kalispell to help manage Conrad Bank.  

“I came to the Flathead Valley with a Volkswagen and $100,” Wachholz said in September 2024. “I made a lot of people successful … but those are the very people that made me successful. And the giving back is one of the things that is a natural thing to do."

Wachholz retired from banking in 1981 and went on to establish real estate firm Coldwell Banker Wachholz and Company and co-founded Fun Beverage Inc., a beverage distributor, with Dale Collins. He also worked as a broker at PureWest Real Estate, specializing in residential development and served as past president of the Kalispell Chamber of Commerce.

“Paul's success was driven not only by his business acumen, but by his willingness to work harder, think differently and invest in people. He understood that lasting success was built through relationships, trust and a commitment to doing things well,” his obituary states. 

Wachholz is survived by his sister, Priscilla Roby; his brother, John Wachholz (BetteSue); his children, Kyam Harlan, Lance Wachholz (Jayne) and Lee Castleberry (Staci); seven grandchildren, six great-grandchildren and nieces and nephews. 

"He taught his family that life is an opportunity to work hard, dream boldly, remain faithful, serve others, and make a difference. He showed them that success has its greatest meaning when it is used to bless others," his obituary states. 

Wachholz died July 28 in Spokane, Washington. A celebration of life will be held Sept. 13 at the Wachholz College Center, 795 Grandview Drive, Kalispell.

Reporter Hilary Matheson can be reached at 406-758-4431 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at dailyinterlake.com/support.