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Paul Robert Houston posted a condolence
Tuesday, December 8, 2020
RIP Mr Beattie!
I will always remember your great sense of humor!
Your fantastic bbqing.
Your world class garden.
Your jokes and scaring the daylights out of us!
Your camping/fishing trips when we were 8 that revolved around sasquatch.
Watching the Argos/Leafs/Blue Jays with you!
Thanks for all the fun you brought to my parents and sister!
Gonna miss you Mr Beattie!
Paul Houston
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Joy Sibley posted a condolence
Sunday, December 6, 2020
It was so sad to hear of Paul passing away. He was such a nice man, kind, gentle, and always smiling. I couldn't ask for a better neighbor. I loved hearing the music playing from my deck in the summer and remember yelling out for Paul to turn it up louder. For my kids when they were growing up (especially my youngest child) he was a grandfather figure. He always had a popsicle and a joke. Even my cat loved hanging out at the Beattie house. He often sunned himself on the front porch. You are well loved and will be greatly missed my friend. And I'm sure you will have a blast selling many rings in heaven.
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Patricia Houston posted a condolence
Saturday, December 5, 2020
Please accept our sincere condolences on the death of Paul. He was a great friend and although we have not seen him recently, we have many wonderful memories of times spent with him and his family.
I know his presence will be greatly missed by all his friends and family.
Sincerely,
The Houston family/
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Len Middlemiss posted a condolence
Thursday, December 3, 2020
So sorry to hear this news..... My sincere sympathies to everyone.
So many fond memories of times shared with Paul over the years at all the "sales meetings" we attended.... He will certainly be missed.
Len Middlemiss
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Karen and Jim Saunders posted a condolence
Thursday, December 3, 2020
So sorry to hear about Paul's passing Sandra. Our thoughts are with everyone who Paul was close to. He had a magical ability to make you feel better about yourself and your place in the world by making you feel like he genuinely appreciated anything you said and did. Our paths hadn't crossed in a while but will always remember his great smile and the always present twinkle in his eyes.
Karen and Jim Saunders from Calgary.
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Rob and Destiny Ferrand posted a condolence
Thursday, December 3, 2020
Sandra, we are so very sorry to hear the news. We have many great memories of you and Paul through all the years at Jostens. One special one that comes to mind is the huge Tuna Paul caught when some of us were in Cabo. We all shared in a wonderful dinner that evening. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all of you during this difficult time.
Hugs, Destiny and Rob Ferrand
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Judy Webster uploaded photo(s)
Wednesday, December 2, 2020
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Just a few of the many memories of Paul with his Jostens family. I remember when Paul returned to Jostens for the 2nd time, he was so grateful to return. When he was awarded Rep of the Year for his outstanding ring sales, when he came up on stage to get his award, he picked me up, gave me a giant hug and swung me around and thanked me for giving him a second chance. So wonderful!!
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Judy Webster posted a condolence
Wednesday, December 2, 2020
Sandra,
I am so sorry to hear of Paul's passing. Gary and I send our heartfelt condolences to you and your family. I have so many wonderful memories of my time spent with Paul. We enjoyed many fun and eventful road-trips and meetings, such fun times with our Jostens family. I also remember when we all went out looking at cottages together. I will always cherish these memories.
Sending virtual hugs to you,
Judy & Gary Webster
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Gib & Carolyn Paul posted a condolence
Sunday, November 29, 2020
Sandy, Scott and family. Our deepest condolences go out to you all. Paul was a wonderful warm hearted man. Full of life and fun. May you find peace and happiness in your loving memories.
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Jean Albert posted a condolence
Saturday, November 28, 2020
I'm so very sorry for your Loss Sandra. Jean Albert
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Mike Hill posted a condolence
Friday, November 27, 2020
Memories of Paul
1. My first vivid encounter with Paul was not a happy one. Sure, he’d been dating my sister, Sanawa, The Princess of Danforth, for a couple of years, but as a 6-year old when they got married and left for their Honeymoon I saw this clearly as Paul kidnapping my sister!. As to why I could not go with them on their Honeymoon remains a cruel mystery to me even today!
2. Oh sure there were earlier memories of Paul . . . like his ritual of getting you in a head lock and licking his finger then rubbing it in your ear, or tickling you into a fit of convulsions, and other favourites that seemed to install you into some select membership and unique right of passage.
3. Paul always dressed well and looked sharp. Those early years doing mechanical maintenance in high schools were not for him. He was at his best in a sharp suit jacket, pressed shirt and slacks, with a tie that brought it all together. He was made for SALES and most comfortable promoting and closing and creating lasting relationships. It seemed that he, like my Dad, could SELL anything and the customer would be left proud of their purchase and the new found relationship with Paul!
4. Was it his childhood and teenage years that nurtured his talents and need to be on display . . . like demonstrating his Yo-Yo skills to a crowd of onlookers . . . or his borrowing vehicles for a joy ride night on the town from Danforth car dealerships! He always brought the cars back, so no harm no foul!
5. His ongoing love of cars was prominent, Paul always wanted a big, impressive vehicle that could make a punctuated statement about him
. . . no ‘beater’ for Paul, no ‘compact car’ for Paul. It was about lifestyle and image and brand! He was a road warrior and Paul always drove in style!
6. Equally impressive was his taste for food and providing consistent, genuine hospitality. Anyone that had the privilege of being invited to Sandy and Paul’s for a meal could count on there being plenty of quality food and copious quantities of beverages. Paul found personal enjoyment in asking his guests if they liked Peach Cobbler or some other obscure dessert, waiting patiently for their great pleasure and anticipation, then telling them that dessert was not available! Paul and Sandy were indeed the consummate hosts, and Paul had a discerning taste for the finer cuts of meat on the barbecue, Sandy completed the meals with timing and panache, Paul’s pie baking was impressive, and his ‘doggy bags’ for Barb and others were treated like precious gifts for the select few!
7. The earlier years in Sandy and Paul’s Havenbrook apartment resulted in many parties with friends, often ending with midnight adventures in the outdoor pool. Paul was a prolific swimmer and no locked fence was going to impede he and the others from enjoying the refreshing aquatic entertainment, often at the expense of the apartment property Security Guard! Pleas to disperse from the Guard on duty were often met with the rhetorical question from Paul: ‘Does your uniform float?!’
8. Sandy and Paul had many Keswick parties with friends that were memorable, perhaps memory over-rated when it came to the finer details of their cultural enhancement encounters, but these parties in the ‘Wick’ were certainly legendary, and everyone in attendance bragged they were on the Beattie guest list and recalled at the very least the highlights of the experience. It seemed a rare pride to confess that while you had bits of cedar hedge in your ear and were still missing a shoe, you would happily stay for breakfast! Just be sure to clean up first . . . and get someone to help you find your pants!
9. And Scott’s scheduling of a Keswick style house party with his friends one weekend while Sandy and Paul were away quickly became more than just a poor judgment call for Scott. Paul was adamant about questioning Scott’s buddies as they arrived at the house even months later. Paul was determined to find out who all had slept in his bed on that outrageous weekend in question. To each of Scott’s buddies Paul’s inquisition included a claim that he had to ‘cut out the sheets with a jig saw’! Paul was clearly portraying the discerning parent role model!
10. Paul could weigh in on current event topics because he was an avid newspaper reader. But, as the party wore on however, and as some of the ‘usual suspects’ replaced context and relevance with decibels and gesturing, this animated Speaker’s Corner quickly transitioned from a perhaps charitable version of the Algonquin Round Table, spiralling into a ‘talking in tongues’ version of the Keswick Centre for The Performing Arts! . . .Ya wanna see culture in the ‘Wick . . . I got your culture right here . . .hold my beer!
11. It seemed so often that Paul lived to fish! And it would be unfair to categorize Paul’s fishing prowess as just plain luck, because it was certainly much more than that. Paul was really passionate about fishing, really good at fishing, and oh yes, very lucky at fishing too. And he didn’t need to attend any fancy exclusive fishing lodge, he would be just as happy in a row boat, or casting from shore, or huddled in a fish hut, or squatting over a hole in the ice. If he’d ever been able to cast a fishing line from his front deck into Cooks Bay he’d likely never have left the porch! My personal first memory of fishing with Paul could very easily have been my last, as in my last day on Earth! It was just the two of us during an early morning motor boat ride at Paul’s grandmother’s cottage in Arnstein, nicknamed ‘The Palace’ for no apparent reason at all except for cruel irony! Paul was standing at the front of the boat, facing forward, casting while I was getting bored sitting and watching my bobber float in the water. So I decided to take inventory of Paul’s tackle box, quietly putting all the sinkers and hooks neatly on the bench seat behind an unsuspecting Paul, when he decided to sit down and relax, only to sit on a very large trout lure. After close inspection by Paul he realized that the lure was far too deep into his butt cheek to be slowly removed with any surgical precision, so he held his breath and yanked it out. Now, as a 6-year old I had never heard the ‘F’ bomb screamed across a lake with such purpose and such anguish! Anglers for miles heard the telltale scream of terror and accurately predicted that clearly some poor shmuck had just sat on a trout lure. And as for the neighboring womenfolk, they began chanting hymns and folk songs, worried about the autumn harvest and the pending scourge from vermin of biblical proportions. Our boat seemed so much smaller now, and a little too intimate for my liking and safety. I am here today to tell this tale, yet not so sure how!
12. In stark contrast was Paul’s hunting prowess, retold by him over the years as more of his confession of run-ins with Game Wardens, his only success was entering into creative negotiations with them, his desperate deflections of reality, and the avoidance of any criminal charges and confiscations. Paul once again mobilized his selling skills, to avoid getting his gun taken and car impounded by the Game Warden, he was prepared to SELL his soul! So as for Paul the hunter, he had much more luck stalking racoons in the chimney! And no one dared ask what was on his rotisserie that week!
13. Paul was proud of his early adulthood playing football for the East York Lions. There were epic games and notable heroes, undefeated seasons and championships, a dynasty for sure, with transferrable lessons on teamwork and leadership and creating a winning culture, and a comradery that was converted into lasting friendships for life, and get-togethers in later life that included Grey Cup parties and braving the outdoor elements while watching the game sitting bundled up in the bleachers of a former team mate’s back yard. While Paul enjoyed watching all competitive sports, his passion for football was most dominant!
14. Sandy thought it would be fun to convince me, her favourite little brother, that Paul was playing for the Toronto Argonauts and told me to watch for him on the TV by searching for his number on the back of his jersey. This tale backfired when the player on TV took off his helmet, and I couldn’t understand why Paul’s skin tone had darkened and the broadcaster was calling him Cookie Gilchrist?!
15. Scott was successful in competitive sports, and Paul lived precariously through Scott and his sports teams, particularly when the games became even remotely physical. Paul was quick with the advice and encouragement to be even more aggressive! And yet I remember Paul being most proud of Scott during what was supposed to be a playful boxing / sparring match in my parents’ basement, an undercard bout between my young nephew Scott and my buddy, Brian, sporting his long hair and a beard, who was best known for his Havenbrook apartment balcony message to the masses below with an old testament sermon that started with ’ My People!’ Yes, Brian was very special, just ask him! But back to the playful sparring with boxing gloves, Brian was an older teenager, loudly taunting, careless, ambivalent. Scott was much younger, quietly confident, determined, and a southpaw . . . not a good combination for Brian. He came upstairs from the basement with a bloody nose, complaining to Paul and Sandy that they had indeed raised their son as an animal ! Paul’s proud response was . . . ‘you’re welcome!’
16. It was rare that anyone played a practical joke on Paul, as he was a master of this art and so it was best to not to compete and become a future target. Others will have their examples to share . . . a novel awaits perhaps! For me I can think of two practical jokes that stand out. The first, again at the infamous cottage / palace in Arnstein, this time with Sandy, our Mom and Paul’s Mom and sister. Paul and I would come back to the cottage after fishing into the evening, and start making animal sounds from shore at dusk, scaring these female cottage inhabitants into fits of terror and spotting! When we entered the cottage the womenfolk were at the ready for the inevitable threat of bears and wolves, clutching cutlery in one hand and their pants with another! The second example involved Paul and his then young and impressionable son, Scott plotting a trail walk with the other younger kids into the woods outside of the cottage. Scott was to lead them to a small clearing in the trail to an alleged sacred burial ground, where Paul would be hiding behind some high rocks, ready to scream his rendition of First Nations Indigenous warrior chants. Yet, as the kids frantically raced back to the cottage it was Scott that was leading them, clearly experiencing the horrors of attack! With practical jokes, Paul was that good!
17. Paul was equally adept at the gentle teasing. As one of three sons in law for my Mom, he claimed that if she had been baking a dessert it meant rival Bob Corby was coming over. While my Mom was a great baker, Paul chimed in asking in front of everyone who was lucky enough to find the raison in their butter tart! My Mom would swear at him profusely but she also loved the attention, and she loved Paul. If Paul knew you could take a teasing then you became fair game! And Paul treated my Mom like a Queen! At family dinners in the Wick it was Paul that made sure she had all 7 beverages around her dinner plate!
18. The short two years in London, Ontario provided Paul with an opportunity to sell school rings and rejuvenate a poorly performing sales territory, and sell pools on weekends, while Sandy kept the finances in order and she began to pursue her Real Estate license, which would soon become an equally successful career for her, and to this day.
19. Paul would be most proud of his success making a living selling school rings and other recognition programs, providing a livelihood that allowed for a vibrant life balance. He enjoyed relentless success with territory dominance, regardless of the company name, brand image and their product selection inventory. Paul developed relationships and was recognized for his credibility and integrity. No account was too small, as was attested by his physical commitment to ring days and other school visits, travelling throughout the entire province, in all weather conditions! After years of enduring waves of competitors and corporate shenanigans and their managerial incompetence, Paul was finally recognized by Balfour for his commitment to the industry, dedication to his profession, and consistent sales success. While never comfortable with public speaking and personal acknowledgement, at an international sales conference Paul was recognized with a prestigious sales award by his industry peers, and although certainly humbled with the accolades, he accurately professed that while not one to brag about his sales prowess, he always beat the hell out of who ever came second!
20. Sandy and Paul enjoyed travelling, including exotic climes, and individually Sandy took a bucket list trip to Europe, and Paul had his fishing trips. Most notable was their infamous Las Vegas trip with Don and Francis, including the visual encounter with Elvis. Or the trip to Montreal for the Major League Baseball All Star Game and meeting the players, including Sandy’s idol, Pete Rose. But make no mistake, Paul was most comfortable on the front deck of his own home, looking out over Lake Simcoe, with the barbecue fired up, a beer in hand, feeding the birds with seeds and nuts, tormenting the squirrels with electric shock, tending to his garden, riding his lawn mower, inspecting the grounds, and overseeing his Keswick Kingdom.
21. Paul considered music as a welcoming backdrop to all activities. He enjoyed Country and Western music but knew that his family was often less enthused. The 50’s channel on satellite radio kept his vocal chords active at all hours. While not as interested in card playing into the wee hours like the Hill clan, he would happily sit by the radio and provide bass harmonies to the classics.
22. Not many knew that Paul had a talent for drawing, his portraits were detailed, impressive, especially for someone that never took an art lesson. He was equally talented at conducting nature hikes with family and friends, a student of wildlife and plants and foliage, at this he was a wealth of knowledge.
23. Paul would want all of us to remember the good times, share our stories about him, laugh at the memories, and enjoy our time together in his honour. Paul was at his happiest when surrounded by friends, his love for his family was unwavering, having grandchildren gave him an unbridled feeling of warmth and accomplishment, being a Grandfather was to him an ultimate honour; he felt complete.
24. Paul Beattie. He left his mark, he genuinely cared, he was authentic. Thank you Paul for touching our lives and making a difference. Rest in peace, Paul.
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The family of Paul David Beattie uploaded a photo
Friday, November 27, 2020
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490 The Queensway South | Keswick, Ontario L4P 2E3
Phone: (905) 476-7711
Email: wecare@beckerfh.ca