Paul Feola was a rich man.
As the youngest of six in an Italian Catholic family, his riches included not only his parents and siblings, but many nieces and nephews (and their kids, and their kids) who cherished Uncle Paul, the cool Uncle.
Imagine the wealth of spirit and courage a teenage Paul had, when he traveled with one duffel bag from New York to San Francisco in the ‘60s – a move that allowed him to enrich so many lives with his generosity and caring. Relatives and friends relied on him in their finest moments and hardest moments. In both times, Paul’s heart of gold was open and giving. Always.
When Paul moved to Sonoma, the heavens aligned for him and for us. Paul’s love of the area and circle of friends continued to grow to his dying day. Paul was “Mr. Sonoma” and knew every winery, restaurant, direction, party and business in the area. But it was his largesse as a kind, good and honest man that earned him many friends who thought of him as family. (The cool kind, of course.)
Paul’s good soul invited almost immediate intimacy. If you just met him and got to talking with him, you’d come away that evening with the certainty that this man was someone you wanted to know more and already trusted. What a precious man.
Paul died on May 2, 2009, leaving more loving friends and family than we know. We mourn the loss of our son, brother, uncle … even though most of us were not related by blood.
A celebration of the rich life Paul lived and the precious gifts he has given was held at Temelec Hall on May 23.
Our Paul is gone. It’s now our task to go on and share his goodness with others. We’ll miss you, Paul.
In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to Relay for Life, c/o Chickie Vella, 845 Austin Ave., Sonoma, Calif. 95476 and/or La Luz Center, 17560 Greger St., Boyes Hot Springs, Calif. 95476. Please include Paul’s name with your gift.
