 |
| Image found on Pinterest |
 |
| Scott and Paul |
I can't think of my days at the Franciscan University without remembering the Coakley family. Paul and his brothers John and Matt were all members of the same household, The Brothers of the Eternal Song, as my 4 brothers. Even before I attended FUS, I had met a number of the Coakleys. Once it was discovered that our families lived in fairly close proximity, we all got together. John and Matt Coakley become close friends of mine as well as my brother Kevin. John and Matt had a spirit of adventure and fun too, and it was clear from talking to either of them how much they admired their big brother, Paul. I never met a single member of the Coakley family that didn't have that joy of the Lord shining through their smile and their actions. There were many adventures lived and memories made during those years at Franciscan especially, that included a member (or several) of the Coakley family. When I arrived at Franciscan, I naturally made friends with the entire Brothers household (John and Matt were there at the time) and in the time spent hanging out with my brother, Kevin, and the rest of the Brothers, I heard more stories about Paul than I can count or remember details of. And every story was insane. Insane, I tell you. The guy had more animation, more heart, and more impulse in his pinky finger than most people do in their entire body.
Each one of my siblings was blessed to meet Paul on multiple occasions, and he was the sort of guy that you felt like you already knew really well when you did finally meet him. That is likely because you'd probably heard countless stories about him, but also because he was so genuine. He was the kind of person that you felt like you had known forever and had deep conversations and thrilling adventures with even though you'd barely said hello. It's because his hello wasn't just a greeting, it was an offer of true friendship right from the first moment he met you.
Paul was a true leader, and the very best kind, because he was full of integrity, humility, and conviction. And he did go where there was no path and leave a trail.
So without further adieu, here are some of the trails of memories he left behind...
One of my favorite stories about Paul was him jumping into a Jefferson Security car and driving it off campus (or was it off campus and he drove it on?). Either way, it was a bold move that no one but Paul would have made. He somehow made jumping off the train bridge into the nasty waters of the Ohio River cool and convinced most of my brothers to do it at some point. I still remember going camping with a number of the Brothers and Brothers groupies at PC2 (that would be PC squared for Paul Coakley and Phil Costanzo). The camping site was named such because, of course, those two had marched off into the wilderness, made their own path and created a campsite of sorts out in the West Virginia wilderness not too far from campus. And his laugh. I have never heard someone laugh with such genuine, heartfelt joy. You could not help but join in, and you'd often end up crying you were laughing so hard when all was said and done. Thank you, Paul, for your example of joy, love, and peace.
 |
| John, Matt, David, and Paul Coakley with myself and Kevin, Scott, and Shannon |
My sister, Christine, who was a few years older than Paul writes,
I was in Austria with Paul, and he and Phil Costanzo provided some hysterical memories of that experience. The best was when he and Phil somehow brought a goat or a horse or was it chickens (??) on campus!! I was so disappointed that I didn't get to see the livestock. Hearing about it was still pretty hilarious. My other favorite memory of Paul was those ridiculously funny pants he would wear. Every time he wore them I just had to chuckle. In my mind right now they were green and blue, I think, and not checkered but maybe a criss cross sort of pattern, but in reality they were probably different. Funny no less!
My baby sister, Shannon (ok, she's graduating from college this year, so not really a baby anymore...) writes,
The first thing that I think of when I think Paul Coakley is a giant smile that makes everyone else smile too. Whenever the Coakleys and Cruesses got together it has always been a blast!
My little brother Robbie, had this to say:
All my memories of Paul are him with a huge smile on his face. He’s the epitome of joy.
I remember when he and the other Coakley boys came down to our house and went to the night mass with us and they were shining their lights on me and Priscilla (we were dating then) in the alley behind Father’s house….always laughing.
I remember going to his wedding with Scott…lots of dancing and lots of joy.
 |
| there's some of that dancing |
And I remember lots and lots of stories of Paul. Of adventure, of courage, of craziness, of being indestructible, always living life to the fullest. It seems like every person he met had a ridiculous story about him, and no matter how crazy the story was I never doubted it because it was Paul.
Some people are legends, and then there is Paul.
Kevin is just above me in age, and he recounts,
In all the stories that our household told of Paul, you could hardly believe the things that he did until you were with him, and then, you believed every last embellished detail.
I went camping/hiking with Paul only once. We were going to a bonfire and he had us split into a guys hike and a girls hike. The girls went straight to the bonfire and we were very excited to see where Paul was taking us. Of course we ended up at a cliff, and of course he expected us to jump. The big surprise was that there was no water below. We were about to ask what on earth he was expecting when he jumped on this 15 foot cliff and clung to a tree about 6-8 feet from the edge, where we were all standing speechless. After he had shimmied down the tree he called up and asked us what was taking so long. Having no fear is one thing, having a joy for living that goes beyond fear is what Paul passed on to us lucky enough to spend time with him.
 |
| because there should be at least one Brothers pyramid picture in a post about Paul |
And lastly, my oldest brother, Sean shared this,
My friend Paul Coakley left this world today. The truth is that he was everyone's friend, and everyone was Paul's friend. Paul loved people. His zeal for life drew us to him, and his joy was contagious. Paul's adventures were epic to the point that people who don't know him probably can't believe they're true. But Paul was indestructible. It was common knowledge that Paul could do things a normal person couldn't and come out at the other end with barely a scratch. He lived life to the full not to bring attention to himself or to stay busy, but because he was just so filled with joy that his body could not contain it. I can't imagine Paul growing old and frail. I can't imagine his spirit cowed or his enthusiasm quenched. Perhaps God couldn't either. We lost Paul too soon, but perhaps Heaven could wait no longer.
So tonight I pray for my friend Paul, who I am honored to call "Brother". I pray for Ann and their kids.
Paul - "The Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his fine shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace." May you be with Jesus today, partaking in the eternal adventure."
And because I usually share a Scripture on Wednesdays, why not share one that speaks of Paul's joyful triumph in passing from this life to the next.
From all of us Cruess kids,
Paul, your example of love for your beautiful wife and family, your perseverance in the midst of great suffering, your joyful spirit that never gave up hope, and your trust in God's will have been an inspiration to thousands upon thousands.
Well done, good and faithful servant!
#livelikepaul
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thanks for stopping by. We love to hear from family and friends!