RICHARD PAUL

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RICHARD PAUL November 5, 1959 - October 10, 2017 Robert Richard Paul was born in Winnipeg on November 5, 1959. Richard died in Winnipeg on October 10, 2017, at approximately 2:00 p.m. Richard was the fourth child of John Henry Desjarlais (deceased) and Rose Paul (deceased); the proud Dad of Shantaya Paul, and even prouder Papa of Maddison Paul; and the brother of Viola Paul Plett, Judith Paul Cyr Racette (deceased), and Marvin Paul Terry. Richard was a treasured uncle to his nieces and nephews. He was a stepparent to many children along the way. He had a love of extended family, especially his cousins from both sides of the Desjarlais and Paul clans. He would drop by to check in with his Aunt Laura on a regular basis and catch up on family news. We were grateful he did occasional drop-byes to let us know he was ok. In 1990, he found the love of his life, Pauline Big George, at the Stony Mountain Jail, where he was serving time for one of many bank robberies and she was bringing culture to the inmates and apparently to one inmate in particular. They became parents to his only daughter, Shantaya. Unfortunately as hard as they tried, they went their separate ways but always remained friends. He often spoke of Pauline and the mistakes he made and wished for a different ending, especially after she died of cancer in 2008. Richard was a 1960s scoop survivor and was deeply wounded. This wound festered all his life in different forms and it finally overtook his journey this past week. He had a gigantic need to give everything he had to everyone except himself. His heart could be his greatest weakness but also his greatest strength. Richard had a very close relationship with his sister Judy and his mom in his earlier years. When Judy passed away tragically in 1991, it threw him into chaos and then again when his mom passed in 2008, he said, "Now I am truly an orphan!" Over the past 10 years he became close to his older sis "Viola" after she moved back to Winnipeg from Toronto to marry her husband. The relationship was an adventure of healing/love and the reconnection of the lost family bond because of the 1960s scoop era. His brother Marvin and his family lived in Toronto which made it difficult to connect but the invisible thread of family remained because they were brothers. In the past few years he was hired by the City of Winnipeg (road repairs) and worked from spring to late fall. He took great pride in his job. He had various short term jobs in between his stays at the Big House. When he shared his crazy, outrageous stories, we laughed with him. He said that he always remembered to say "Please" and "Thank you" when he asked the Bank Teller to give him all the money. He was a member of the Manitoba Warriors for a time until his beloved Pauline tore off the tee shirt and said 'Nope.' He was such an eloquent speaker. The first time I heard him, I said to myself, "Who the hell was that?" He had such presence. He didn't recognize his power. He brought a certain type of energy wherever he was and wherever he went. He was part of the prison activism in Stony Mountain that brought the Right to Vote to prisons. We could go on with dozens of stories that most people didn't know about Richard. He lived large, outside the boundaries of what was normal. He danced to another beat we couldn't hear. But we can all agree we loved this man, this brother, this father, this papa, this uncle, this cousin, this nephew, this friend, this warrior we call Richard... Rest In Peace. Funeral service will be held on Saturday, October 14, 2017, at 10:00 a.m. at Circle of Life Thunderbird House, 715 Main St., Winnipeg, MB. Interment will follow at the Lake Manitoba Cemetery, Manitoba. Officiant: Ron Indian. Arrangements entrusted to ANDERSON FAMILY FUNERAL HOME Ashern, MB 1-866-293-4951
Publish Date: Oct 14, 2017

RICHARD PAUL November 5, 1959 October 10, 2017 With sadness we announce the sudden passing of Richard Paul on October 10, 2017. Funeral Service will be held on Saturday, October 14, 2017 at 10 a.m. at the Circle of Life Thunderbird House, 715 Main St. Winnipeg, MB. Interment to follow at Lake Manitoba Cemetery. Arrangements Entrusted to ANDERSON FAMILY FUNERAL HOME Ashern, Manitoba 1-866-293-4951
Publish Date: Oct 13, 2017

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Oct 14, 2017