We have all been very blessed by the outpouring of care that is demonstrated in this site. Mark and I were very touched at the number of folks who came to Paul's memorial service on very short notice. Paul's dad has had to hear about it all second-hand, but is enjoying reading some of the entries.
Many things have become quite clear over the last few days. First, Paul was very happy in his life, and lived it just as he pleased. I sometimes worried about his being "alone" in life, and it is apparent now that he was anything but alone. He often talked about his friends, and my being of a different generation and time, it was easy to be a little dubious about the depth of those friendships. No longer. He was clearly loved by many of you, and touched even those who had not met him in person. He loved and cared about you in return. One thing of which we were not aware, and which pleases us all greatly, is the fact, often told recently, of how he encouraged others to donate to charity, and that so many would describe him as "generous". We knew a little of that side of him, but had no idea it was an attribute for which he was so publicly known.
We have long known of Paul's intelligence and his love of arguing his positions. Naturally, those arguments often occurred over the dinner table with family members at holidays, and there was sometimes strong disagreement. That made for occasional tense moments at holiday time, as you might imagine, but it is good to learn that he was persistent and persuasive to others of his views. That's consistent with the Paul we knew and loved-- always challenging assumptions, thinking clearly, and expressing his views.
Paul really enjoyed travel, and spoke very lovingly of his times at the various "Geralds", which I understand he even had a hand in naming. Of course, we knew he loved to party, though we weren't quite aware of how much he enjoyed these revelries until reading the remembrances posted! While perhaps not QUITE what a mother might like to hear, I am truly pleased that he helped bring joy to so many others, and that he really did enjoy himself as well. Paul, the kareoke king? I had no idea!
Paul would be most pleased, I'm sure, if folks who wished to do so would make memorial contributions to Doctors Without Borders or any charity of their choice.