Paul was born in Share, Nigeria to Carl and Barbara (Anderson) Embree who were
there as missionaries of the Gospel of Jesus. At three months of age he was brought
to the States to be raised by an aunt and uncle in Filer, Idaho because of the very high
infant mortality rate in Africa. It was his Aunt Etta who led him to Christ after a church
service when Paul was a young child. When his parents were on furlough he lived with
them. During WW II they were “stranded” in the States, so he was able to be with
them during his high school years when they lived in Yakima, WA. He served in the
Army, graduated from Seattle Pacific College, and then from McGill University, School
of Medicine in 1952 with his MD.
While at Seattle Pacific he met his life’s partner Esther Corson of Modesto, CA. They
were married in 1950 after a two year engagement during which they wrote daily letters
to each other, airmail. They both felt called by God to be missionaries, and began
praying about how that might come about. Their first child Carl David was born in
Montreal, Canada during Paul’s last year of med school. He did his internship at
Franklin Hospital in San Francisco. They were accepted as missionaries by the Free
Methodist Church, and appointed to Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). But Paul
developed hepatitis, and while he recovered he worked as staff physician for the
Ahwahnee TB sanitarium, and during this time a second child, Martha Anne was born.
They arrived at Chikombedzi Mission Hospital, Southern Rhodesia, in early 1955, and
Ruth Elizabeth was born to them 6 weeks later, completing the family of five. Paul
threw himself into the medical work where he would be the only physician caring for
the Xangaan people in the southeast corner of Southern Rhodesia for most of the 11
years he served there. Besides the wide-ranging medical challenges, he also oversaw
the building of two hospital wings, installation of running water, and installation of a
sewer system (with three ponds). He was assisted by two missionary RNs, and
together they trained a cadre of national staff to take X-rays, run a lab, and tend many
clinic patients daily, as well as the in-patients. There was a significant problem with
tuberculosis, so his recent experience with that infectious disease was invaluable. But
the hospital was very remote, with no local butchery, so Paul hunted game to supply
meat for his family, the mission staff, and patients. Impala and kudu were his most
common “takes”, but he also shot a variety of smaller antelope, cape buffalo and
zebra. And he did not lose sight of his mission of sharing the good news of Jesus with
people who had never heard of Him. There were daily prayers with hospital staff and
patients, and a chaplain who visited the patients individually. Paul led a men’s Bible
class weekly, and participated in the local church.
In 1969, the Embree family moved to Greenville Mission Hospital in the Republic of
South Africa, where there was urgent need for a doctor. They took with them teenager
Dan Flory; and the next year when Dan and David returned to the USA, Marilee Blews
joined their family. In 1971 with their children now college-aged they took a leave of
absence from the mission board and settled in Modesto. Paul joined the staff of
Scenic General Hospital and became board-certified in Family Practice in 1973.
He became part of the faculty of the Family Practice Residency program as it was
developed, and was instrumental in the design of the clinic building for the FP
Residents. He developed particular expertise in orthopedics, focusing on low back
pain and chronic pain, applying his diagnostic and therapeutic skills to each patient
equally and always with a full measure of compassion. He developed a series of
classes for his chronic pain patients, and gave seminars to them on dealing with their
pain. He stayed a part of the Residency program until his retirement in 2003, and
continued to do surgical assisting for several more years. He was strongly supportive
of Community Hospice when it was being started in Modesto in the 1970s, and was a
member of their founding Board.
Paul never stopped being a missionary at heart. He went on many short-term missions
trips, including back to Chikombedzi to help re-open that hospital after the war of
independence, to Burundi after the 1994 genocide, and to a mission hospital in Haiti.
As a part of the Modesto Free Methodist Church he was very active in promoting
missions and encouraging people to be involved in missions personally, including
through faith-promise giving. He also served his church at the conference and national
levels in various administrative capacities.
Paul’s zest for life was remarkable. He loved the out of doors. He loved to snow ski, to
fish, to hike, and back pack. He climbed Mt Whitney in 1975, Mt Rainier in the early
80’s, and Mt Kilimanjaro in 1995 at age 69. His final backpacking trip was at 80 years
young on the John Muir trail, from Mammoth Lakes to Yosemite Valley with family - a
memorable three generation trip. Here in Modesto he kept an orchard and vineyard,
and bred llamas. The breadth and depth of his interests and knowledge was truly
remarkable. Physics was his favorite subject, and he loved to figure out solutions to all
manner of practical problems - both in and out of medicine. He loved music, loved his
family, and loved his Lord most of all. His life’s verse was “Trust in the Lord with all
your heart, and lean not on your own understanding: in all your ways acknowledge
Him, and He will direct your paths.”
After a prolonged illness, Paul passed away peacefully at home under the care of
Community Hospice, with all his children present. He was preceded in death by
Esther, his wife of 69 years, his parents, and by his brother Louis Embree. He is
survived by his children David (Patty) Embree, Martha (Mike) Rorabaugh, and Ruth
(David) Schale; his ten grandchildren David Rorabaugh, Becky (Isaac) Von Wetzel,
Beth (Micah) Schaafsma, Danny (Ariel) Rorabaugh, Christine (James) Black, Michael
(Kayla) Embree, and Julie (Joey) Partridge, Stephen Schale, Sarah (Alex) Humphreys,
and Paul (Rachael) Schale; his five great grandchildren Kaylee Von Wetzel, Zoe
Schaafsma, Finley Schaafsma, Evelyn Schale, and Clarke Embree. He is also survived
by his brother-in-law Robert Corson, sister-in-law Serena Embree, nephews Don (Vicki)
Corson and John Embree, and niece Anna Embree (Dave Grossman), and other
extended family.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, September 25 at 2pm at the Life
Connection Church (formerly Modesto Free Methodist Church), 1520 Rose Ave,
Modesto. All are welcome, and masking will be observed for everyone’s
protection.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Paul’s memory to Free Methodist
World Missions, 770 High School Rd, Indianapolis, IN, 46214. The on-line link is:
https://give.fmcusa.org/donation/memorial-giving
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.LakewoodHughson.com for the EMBREE family.
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.8.18