Paul F. Schwarz has lived in Missouri nearly his entire life, spending the last 39 years in Independence.  He worked for the John Deere Company for almost 38 years – in both Kansas City, MO and Lenexa, KS.  Paul retired in 2006.  His father, Paul A. Schwarz of Kansas City, was a World War II veteran, a double Purple Heart recipient, an avid sports fan: an all-American hero.  In 2011, a cantaloupe contaminated with the lethal bacteria Listeria killed him.  Paul A. Schwarz was 92-years-old in the fall of 2011 when he died. Since that time, Paul F. Schwarz has advocated for a safer food supply.