In the days before Internet Harriett & Paul met via a dating ad in a magazine both subscribed to.  Harriett wasn't outdoorsy and I
asked why she responded to a self-descdribed triathlete. She said, "That means he's not a smoker or drug taker."  Very astute:  Paul was dedicated to taking care of his health and well being.
     Paul never stroked to be the center of attention. He enjoyed laughing with a group of family or friends, enjoyed hearing their stories, and encouraging them.  He was a kind man, attuned to the feelings of others.
     I have a favorite memory of a time when Hillary rented what turned out to be the strangest AirBnB ever listed. You had to step down to get into several rooms. The dining room table was out by an indoor pool, so that you inhaled chlorine while eating.  Paul & my daughter Beth (then in real estate), enjoyed walking room by room to determine the owners' strange thinking--& in what order they'd done the room adds!
       Once when Paul came to a walkathon charity I was working on
at the end he approached several food trucks. As he headed to a
barbecue truck I warned him that wasn't very good barbecue. He
bought it anyway, saying, "I eat to live, I don't live to eat."  Still,
after every home meal of their marriage I know he'd thank Harriett for preparing "such a fine meal" for him.  Paul is in both of those food stories--not stuffy and grateful! 
     He will be missed.
     

Obviously you know your dad your whole life, so I have a lifetime of memories.  But my closest, fondest memories are those sharing his passion - running & triathlon.  

From the time we were kids, he used to take us to whatever track he was running at in Houston (Spring Branch), and I remember one time I wanted to give him a birthday present so I ran my first mile.

In my teens, we regularly traveled to small towns throughout Central Texas as he loved to enter the footraces put on (see the Lockhart Kiwanis 10,000 on his T-Shirt).  We went to towns like Dime Box, Lockhart, Elgin, Round Rock, Wimberley, and so many others I can't remember.  He did races like the Shiner Beer Run - 5K out, guzzle a Shiner, 5K back.  Dad loved to drive, and I loved going for the ride (and occasionally trying to run with him).

In the mid-late eighties, Paul started the new sport of triathlon - swim, bike and run.  I don't know how many he ultimately did, but it had to have been several hundred, as he did 8-10 races per year from the late 1980's until he retired in the early 2000's.  As I got older, especially after my return from Albany, I continued started to race with him myself.  My first race with him Dad was at called the Double-Sprint at Hornsby Bend on Lake Travis in 1998.  We traveled and raced together for several years - Dallas, Houston, Katy, Texas City, Marble Falls, Burnet, Joe Pool Lake, Waco, Pflugerville, etc.

After Dad retired from the sport in the early 2000's (don't remember the exact year), I kept racing.  I would always call him after the race to let him know that I was still doing them.  I haven't been able to call him the last couple of years, but Dad, I'm still racing and have done over 100 now.  I know you're still there with me and I think about you every single race.  I love you and loved those times with you.

Kerry

We will miss Paul. I'm traveling so I don't have access to all my pictures, but did find some of a birthday celebration we had with him in Florida.  We enjoyed when he and Harriett would visit us in Atlanta, too.  He was easy going and fun to talk with. Loved reading his autobiography!  Also, a key memory is how Paul got us interested in recycling before it was a thing! Peace be with you Paul, and with your family. 

When I met Paul in 1991, he was looking for a change of job from persuading high school graduates to attend a certain college. He heard of a book called “What Color Is your Parachute?” and bought it. The book steered readers to puzzles that would recommend certain types of work. “I’m going to become a Home Inspector,” Paul told me, describing what that fairly new professions entailed. I thought it a perfect fit, because Paul was a very handy man, familiar with all types of home systems.
        Paul took tests to get a license, then started his  business, New Day Inspections.We had fallen in love and got married. Paul started helping a more experienced home inspector, and soon got his full license. Tagging along on a couple of his inspections, I noticed that Paul, who entered all types  of triathlons, had no trouble crawling under houses to check plumbing or other systems. He got in and out fast!
        Paul’s career was successful, and time flew by. I was relieved when he finally retired, for he had a neuropathy handed down by his Mother, which affected his legs. I had feared he might fall off a roof, but the only time he did, he thankfully landed in some soft bushes.
        We enjoyed our retirements and did a lot of traveling. A few years ago, I noticed that Paul wasn’t as sharp as usual. Our doctor tested him, and he had dementia. When it progressed, I had to move Paul to a care facility, and visit him there. He always recognized me, and a little smile would creep over his face. He never lost his sense of humor, because he would often declare, “Did you arrive by train this time?” I’d answer with, "How I got here is not as important as these cookies I brought,” and hand them over. I could tell Paul was getting good care.  His talents would sometimes go on display, when he would figure out how to unlock the security door, and walk out of his facility. The employees got more exercise, that’s for sure!
        Paul decided a few days ago to give the employees one 

OBITUARY

Paul Howard MacLean

November 16, 1940 – March 30, 2023

Cook-Walden Funeral Home

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