June 6, 1949 — Dec. 10, 2023
When our Beloved Paul passed over to the other side in his Ashland home in December, it was the kind of passing we all might wish for.
He was surrounded by family, laughter and love and, though not unexpected, in that moment his passing was a surprise. To the last minute he was being funny, making people smile; the thing he loved most to do.
Paul was at peace with the prospect of passing, he’d said, and was happy with the life he’d lived.
And life had been pretty good to Paul.
Born to Grace and Vernon Edenstrom in the middle of summer, in Moorhead, Minnesota, Paul was a happy and loving little boy. By the time he was in elementary school, his family, including an older brother, Barry, and sister, Maryjane, had moved to Fargo, North Dakota, where as early as elementary school he began to show superior athletic ability, earning high praise in the local newspaper, and the name “Perfect Pitcher Paul” for his game-winning skills in Little League baseball.
And so began a lifetime of athleticism. Paul was a true athlete, in the highest sense of the word, always valuing skill and grace over winning.
He loved swimming, spent most of every day in the water at the beloved family summer cottage on Pelican Lake, and in middle and high school he became a football star, finding a passion for the sport that nourished him for the rest of his life.
He loved to sing, starred in school performances, had lots of friends. By high school, his spontaneous and spot-on sense of humor was beginning to show; he was the “Class Clown,” which endeared him to everyone. Even — sometimes — his teachers!
He played one semester of college football in university, opting out in favor of track, a less violent and dangerous pursuit, and he was, of course, good at that, too.
He was funny, handsome, and kind, and though these traits defined him all his life, it’s the kindness people who knew him remember the most.
The year he graduated with his bachelor’s degree, jobs were scarce. He was young and carefree, though, and worked at a ski resort in Vail, Colorado, where one night Elvis Presley tried to give him, and a few other nice people he’d met that night, a new car. Paul had declined it, he said, because he had a perfectly good used car, and didn’t want to take advantage. (True story.)
He also drove a school bus during that time, and put a Christmas tree in the back for the youngsters. He loved watching their faces light up when they saw it!
After college he married Rhoda Morgan, and they had three beautiful children: Summer, Morgan and Lashea. They lived in Peonia, Colorado, where Paul joined the men of his new family in the mine, as a monitor — the only miner in town with a college degree.
Later, Paul earned a Master of Social Work degree at Colorado State University, driving home on weekends, and after graduation he moved the family to Eagle Point, Oregon, where he worked, as his attorney father had done, for U.S. Veterans Administration. Over many years Paul worked hard, and from the heart, to help countless homeless veterans find their way to a safer and more satisfying life.
Eventually Paul bought a house “on the top of the hill’,” on Castle Drive, where he landscaped the entire grounds by himself, completing the Oregon State University Master Gardener Program in the process. He also joined the Rogue Valley Chorus, and sang a solo in their production of “Camelot.”
After the children left home, Paul and Rhoda divorced, and Paul retired from the VA.
Over the years, Paul was blessed with eight grandchildren: Brooke and Lauren; Connor, Tristan and Tray; and Eliana, Michael and Kahlia. He was never happier than when he was with them.
Starting his new life, Paul moved to Ashland. Here he studied for three years to become a licensed massage therapist so that he could continue to help people as he had done at the VA for so many years.
Pursuing the things he loved, Paul was welcomed into the Siskiyou Singers for his beautiful bass voice, and gentle friendliness. He also joined the Ashland Family YMCA, where he worked out nearly every day, became good friends with the staff, and enjoyed the company of kids, young and old, for many years. And as usual, the kids knew him by name.
He was an intellectually active, and very curious man. He had come from a family of teachers, and loved learning, so he enrolled in Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) classes at Southern Oregon University in history (World War II, Civil War), social and cultural issues, old musicals and comedies, and spiritual and psychological topics. He was interested in just about everything (except cooking!).
Eventually and inevitably he discovered Noble Coffee, where he was a favorite of the baristas on a near-daily basis, and had long conversations with people whom he met as strangers, and left as friends.
Then a few years later he discovered the Bloomsbury Blends coffee shop in Bloomsbury Books, where, on a beautiful day in June, he met and fell in love with Cynthia Bronson, a local artist and teacher, who was to become his life partner for the rest of his days.
For many years their life together was one of deep and joyful love, and sharing the many things they both loved to do.
He joined Cynthia on her journeys to juried art fairs in Seattle and the Bay Area, and helped her share her hand-painted original designs in wearable art. Together they’d book a fair where they wanted to explore, such as Monterey, California, for the aquarium, or Seattle, to visit the museums, and make an adventure of the trip.
Paul also encouraged Cynthia to join him in the Siskiyou Singers, and they sang together with them for many years. At the end of every concert Paul would stand by the exit door and thank the happy attendees as they left, shaking hands and laughing with them until all had gone on their way.
His effect on people was a joy to see; he was a bit shy, but reached out to everyone in gratitude for their presence, and the joy of singing, and he touched their hearts.
In his years with Cynthia, he expanded her world from one of studio art 24/7/365, to a banquet, the feast that was life in Ashland; his life.
He brought her into the OLLI community, and they enjoyed classes together. He introduced her to the fitness community at the Ashland YMCA, where they worked out and took classes together regularly.
Through those many years they were a familiar sight together around town. They went regularly to Noble and Bloomsbury, sitting companionably, reading, or chatting with friends or strangers, in the big comfy chairs, or on the garden deck outside in the sun.
He gave her his heart, he gave her his world, he gave her his love, and she was forever changed.
Though Paul’s gentleness and good nature will be missed by many in the days to come, his presence is still felt in the hearts of those who love him. Friends and family will celebrate his new adventure, with his “graduation” to The House Of The Lord.
Donations to the Youth Scholarship Fund at the Ashland YMCA would make him, and lots of children, very happy.
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