That's Paul the second row down and the second from the left. I'm two pictures below him. Looking back to the days when I would have first met Paul, probably around 1954, I had just moved back to Van Nuys, after a short jaunt in Oregon. Paul, along with so many others, welcomed me into the fold where I first learned how to properly ride Elevators and Escalators at Butler Brother's. In class Paul would laugh at my inability to spell anything right. He used to yell across the class room during a spelling Bee and tell me to sit down even before I was given my word to either spell or butcher it. He did this on several occasions and one time Sister Robert Ellen told him to sit down. Paul was truly one of the good ones and never had a bad word to say about anyone.
Semper Fi Marine
Terry Coultas
I think that when we reflect on Paul’s life, he would want us all to remember the many good things that he enjoyed. His life was filled with life-long friends, family that loved him – barnacles and all, and love that he showed lavishly to those around him, not to mention a cold beer or two and Dodger games. I cannot think of Paul without also seeing him with his many friends, having fun, playing sports, often with a cast on an arm or leg, and always with a quick smile on his face.
While there are many things that I remember, here are a few memories that I cherish. When Michael was born, they discovered that one of his feet needed some correction. As a tiny baby, he needed surgery and a cast. Paul was wearing a leg cast at the same time – work or baseball, who can remember! – and there they were, brand-new father and brand-new son in matching leg casts!
In our early lives, we lost both of our parents to illness and were on the verge of being divided between relatives in Kansas. My father’s sister, Aunt Mary and her husband Leo Arndt, promised our mother that they would do everything they could to keep up together. Well, they did. They took five teenagers, 12 to 17 years old, into their home on Gilmore Street in Van Nuys. Now that I am an adult with my own children, I can only begin to understand this undertaking. Aunt Mary and Leo gave us love and a home, a place to be together. In fact, they gave everyone a place to be together. Many of you will remember those Sunday afternoons when she invited family, friends, friends of family, and friends of friends, to her home. She and Leo would cook up a ton of food, but her famous hamburgers were always on the menu, along with potato salad, corn on the cob, and whatever else she could find in the kitchen. I am not sure why Paul is so strongly associated with these afternoons but, in my mind, he is. Maybe it’s because he was usually there. Many times, these events were held to honor him (off to boot camp, return from boot camp, deployment to Vietnam, return to Van Nuys, Michael’s birth.) Maybe that is why all the other Campbell kids knew he was the favorite!
As adults, the Campbell kids developed wings and took off! Paul, Tom, Mary Beth, and I settled in different parts of California and Judy moved to Chicago. Unfortunately, this meant that we were seldom able to all be together in the same place at the same time. Our communications were limited to individual visits with one or two of us, weddings, phone calls, and maybe an occasional card. Right before Thanksgiving 2016, Judy fell and broke her hip at home. Right after the holiday, we learned that she actually had advanced undetected and untreated bone cancer. Paul and I decided to fly back to see her in early December. We were with her for a few days while she was still in the hospital. Paul was a real trooper, traversing O’Hare Airport on his arthritic feet, making multiple Uber trips to and from the hospital, and spending hours there in uncomfortable chairs. Paul never complained about anything, including Chicago’s cold December weather. It was an amazing time for the three of us together and because Judy understood how difficult it was for Paul to travel, she felt doubly blessed. Michael, our niece Chris Kemp, our cousin Dee-Dee and I were able to visit her in the months following her release from the hospital. She loved those visits, but I truly believe seeing Paul was the best one for her (again Paul was the favorite!) and I know she treasured the memories of his visit until the day she died in June of 2017, leaving many broken hearts.
There are many more memories, but I will share this one with you all. I will always remember seeing Paul in the hospital before his last major surgery. I was able to be there when he arrived at Keck Hospital by ambulance. Due to the reality of time, distance, and commitments, I was the first one there. I got to spend an hour or so with Paul before the doctors started doing all the things they do and before Darlene and her son Jeff arrived. Never once did Paul question why this was happening to him or say how unfair it was for him to be sick. Instead, he asked how I was doing and how life was treating me. He was more concerned about my renovations at my house than he was about himself. I knew he must have been nervous and a bit afraid, but he never let that show.
The thing is, this is how Paul always lived his life. Maybe a little afraid of what was coming, but never afraid to face it. He never questioned why things happened the way they did, why his body was failing and in constant pain. He accepted these things and kept on moving, building a life for himself, his family, and those he loved. His commitment and love to us all is his legacy. Rest in peace, brother, you are missed.
Susan Campbell Schafer
The first time I
met Paul Campbell, we got in a fight. He was 7 and I was 6.
For the next 70 years neither of us ever figured out what the fight was about.
The Campbells
lived on Gilmore St, across from Van Nuys Elementary School, and
within 2
blocks of the Meyers, the Atkinsons, and the Brewsters.
After a few year they moved
to Bevis Av, also within 2 blocks of the relocated Meyers. Throughout our lives,
whether on Bevis or Gilmore,
the Meyers were never far from the Campbells.
Fact: Nobody
could hop the chain link fence at Van Nuys High faster than Paul.
Gene Meyer
At the first
North South Game, Paul and I exchanged team t shirts, (which Paul would wear later above in the gorilla photo). I kept Paul's
South shirt, which said, "Avengers, SFV," for years. Then in our 60’s a bunch of us presented it to Mike
LaRoque, an old friend of ours from St Elisabeth Elementary School and the legendary Van Nuys gang leader of the real Avengers at a Caribou Campout. That shirt traveled. Gene
Paul William was my
older brother but to say he was only a year and a half older than me would be a
disservice to him. As the oldest of five children, with only six years between
the oldest and the youngest, Paul had to step up and take on the role of "man
of the house". He had to sacrifice or put on hold his own dreams and
aspirations to help out his mother, his brother and sisters. In his life, Paul
never complained, looked back, or wallowed in self pity about the hand he had
been dealt. Instead he stood up strong and proud and faced life's challenges
head on. He never blinked, never turned away, never showed fear; he just kept
fighting and pushing forward to be the best person he could be and took care of
his siblings along the way.
Paul William worked hard his whole life, refusing to retire and take it easy
for fear he wouldn't have anything to do. The last few years Paul had more than
his share of medical issues that laid him low and kept him down but he never
complained about the pain or the lack of mobility, he just kept pushing
forward.
Paul loved and was loved by his family, his children, his grandchildren and his
many longtime friends/brothers. He seemed to be most happy when he was hanging
out with his lifelong friends having a beer and telling stories about growing
up in the San Fernando Valley. Paul was a good athlete who loved to play
baseball. I remember one summer he played third base on a select all-star pony
league team with some of the Valley's best players. Paul liked to run as well.
As a sophomore at Notre Dame High School he was a member of the track team and
ran the 1320, and qualified for the state championship meet where he placed
fourth, again no complaints.
My sister Susan's comment about Paul's love for and commitment to his family being his legacy couldn't be more true. I love you my brother, my buddy, my pal.
From front left, clockwise: son Eric in baseball cap and his family; Jeff with daughter Faith and grandbaby; Paul and Darlene; Michael and Denise with Connor and Madison (second set of twins) and Caitlyn. Faith’s baby makes this a four-generation picture!
