We Remember Paul |
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Paul Shuman-Moore 1987 - 2006 |
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Paul the night before he died. |
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This web site is a tribute to Paul Shuman-Moore. As the web address says, every day, We Remember Paul.
Paul was a sophomore at Grinnell College, when he disappeared on September 25, 2006. Although he left behind a suicide note, his body was not found after an extensive search of the area. For seven months we hoped he had changed his mind and run away. Friends and relatives helped us circulate thousands of posters across the country, send mass e-mails and produce a touching YouTube video with his band mates asking him to come home. On April 16, 2007 Paul’s body was found in a swimming pool at a country club near the Grinnell College campus. The subsequent investigation showed that he deliberately drowned himself, probably on the day he went missing.
Every relative, friend, teacher, and fellow student of Paul was shocked by his disappearance and the eventual news that he had died by suicide. People who saw him in the weeks and even hours leading up to his disappearance say he appeared to be his normal, happy self. He was doing well in classes, had just been approved to host an experimental jazz show on the college radio station and had spent the weekend playing in a Frisbee tournament, attending a concert and going to parties. Hours before he died, he played solo guitar at a campus coffee house. Paul’s decision to take his life that night truly came out of the blue.
None of us should let the way Paul ended his life diminish the way he lived his life. He was a modest, bright, funny, multitalented young man with a strong sense of social responsibility. We don’t know why he chose to take his own life and we never will. But we know for certain that he gave us 19 years of joy and, that during his too short time on this earth, he made all of us better persons. For that, we will always love, honor and respect him.
Steve’s eulogy given at Paul’s memorial service in Chicago discusses the life and death of this special young man. The memorial given by Pastor Brian Hiortdahl at the same service is a spiritual and compassionate approach to the unthinkable topic of suicide. On the right is the YouTube video where Paul’s band mates paint a portrait of a talented and thoughtful friend.
During a memorial service held at Grinnell College, the Grinnell Chorus performed a song written by one of Paul’s friends. You can hear this moving performance by clicking the lyrics below. We now think of Paul whenever we look in the sky:
Burning bright over the pond garden And we know where to look for you in the sky
Steve Moore, Betsy and Nora Shuman-Moore
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Gallery of Paul photos |
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“Come Home Paul” YouTube Video |
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To Contact us: E-mail: werememberpaul@yahoo.com |