Paul's Story

Paul graduated from CBHS in 2004. He was attending CBU majoring in Finance planning on graduating May 2009 with plans to attend law school. Paul was an avid mountaineer that had a deep passion for the rock and ice. He always lived everyday to the fullest and never stammered in front of any worldly challenges. He was the articulate type that always put danger first! Not afraid of the depths or heights, Paul was a man to be admired. He was a Christian and had accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and personal Savior at a young age. He always sought to fulfill his dreams no matter what they were. To say the least, Paul was a well-rounded individual.

He will be in our hearts and prayers forever. And he will continue to watch over us and guide us. We look forward to seeing him again when we pass through the gates of Heaven! Paul has left an undying fire in our hearts to fulfill his goals and dreams. Paul's soul is no longer with us, but he will never be forgotten. One day we will climb the mountains in heaven together. Until then, peace is with you, we love you Paul.

A Poem Dedicated to Paul:

"The news came to us, like an avalanche.
Abruptly and rapidly the words flowed like snow.
Down a surreal mountainside, reality mixed with the air and water.
Is he really Gone?

From a distance we can see him walking towards us,
He was ready for his first climb of the day.
With his harness, chalk bag, and climbing shoes he smiled.

As he started to climb up he took his passion with him,
Upward he continued, and we could see the sun beam off his carabineer.
He climbed so quickly he was almost out of sight.

Maybe he had Mt. Denali or Mt Everest on his mind,
So calmly and patiently he pushed on.

We could barely see him at the top,
As the ropes vanished, so did his harness and shoes.
Still nothing stopped him from his final climb.

We keep expecting him to rappel back down to us,
But he does not.
He continues to climb.

One last look up and there he was,
He turned around and threw his chalk dust into the air.
As he turned back he then continued effortlessly without us,
Leaving us with the limitless love he gave when he was here.
We will miss him."

We found a letter that Paul wrote and it really hits the nail on the head as far as his feelings on rock climbing. It reads as follows:

"The act of climbing is when your leaning out and jumping up like
you're a runner when you're getting started. There are no other things
in your mind except for that. It has kind of like a cleansing effect. It
doesn't allow anything into the system. It gives you a period of release
from external pressures. Maybe we both started touching the number
for what we're here for."

We also found a few scripture verses that he had written down.

They are as follows:

1st Timothy 1:15 & 16 NAS: It is a trust worthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among who I am foremost of all. 16. and yet for this reason I found mercy, in order that in me as the foremost Jesus might demonstrate his perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in him for eternal life.

Acts 16:31: They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household."
~Psalms 40, 1-17