A life all about helping others

Deepa Bharath

Paul Weber’s smiling eyes said it all. At 6-foot-3 and about 240

pounds, he was no more than a big, lovable teddy bear.

Paul was perfect for what he did. For 20 years, he was a network

supervisor for the Newport-Mesa Unified School District.

He liked to help people. Paul was always there at a moment’s

notice to help troubleshoot those nagging network problems. He spent

hours on the phone helping frustrated people get their computers back

on track.

Paul loved his job so much that even after he was diagnosed with

cancer, even a week before he died, he sat on his recliner with a

laptop and a phone doing what he loved to do the most -- helping

people.

He was close to the people he worked with. Paul’s wife, Elaine,

often joked about his “work wives.”

Paul’s desk was layered with reams of paper. Every square inch was

covered. He saved every piece of paperwork. It was disorganized, but

it was chaos that Paul could make perfect sense of.

His office walls told stories about his family -- happy days,

weekends spent camping or holidays spent goofing around with the

children.

There was one thing Paul did better than his job, and that was

being a dad.

Paul and Elaine fell in love in a computer lab while attending

college in Stockton. When they got married, they decided they

wouldn’t have any kids. But time altered their perceptions. They felt

there had to be more to their lives than themselves.

Paul was a laid-back kind of guy. He and Elaine were opposites.

She was the planner and he the procrastinator. Elaine learned

valuable lessons about spontaneity from her husband. He always told

her to relax, to go with the flow.

Paul was a garage sale enthusiast. Among the things he scouted for

were the knives and coins he loved to collect.

He had a subtle sense of humor and was soft-spoken, which is

exactly why the zingers came when they were least expected.

Having children was a decision Paul never regretted. He loved

everything about being a dad. Be it reading to them, cuddling with

them on the couch, taking them to Disneyland or going camping -- Paul

cherished every second he spent with his son and daughter.

It was a feeling unlike any other and a joy he didn’t experience

with various successes and accomplishments in his life and career.

Being a dad made Paul Weber complete.