Paul C.

By Paul’s parents Stephen & Claire and his brother, Matthew

Paul Clement

Stony Point, NY

Paul Clement passed away from an accidental overdose of a drug laced with fentanyl on March 17, 2018.

Eulogy for Paul Andrew Clement, offered by Matthew Clement:

I’ve learned a few things about my brother over the last few days.I knew he was kind, tolerant, caring, devoted, and resilient. What I did not realize was that everyone else knew him for these qualities as well.

I knew there were many people who called Paul a friend. What I did not know was that there are several hundred such people, many of whom I’ve met this week and whose stories of Paul they’ve shared.

I knew Paul’s highest satisfaction in life came from knowing he had helped someone, even in a small way. What I did not know was the extent to which he helped so many different people, indiscriminately, whenever and wherever he could.

I knew Paul had a good sense of humor. What I did not realize was how many people came to rely on that humor for upliftment. He made people smile and laugh, usually when they, and he, needed it the most.

I knew Paul confronted his challenges in life, not with anger, bitterness, or resentment, but as part of what made him who he was. What I learned from my parents just this week was that Paul believed God had a purpose for him. So strong was Paul’s faith that he told them the following: If he had the chance to do it all over again, he wouldn’t change a thing.

Ask yourself that question – If you had a chance to do it all again, would you change anything? Yeah – me too. But, Paul’s strength of purpose – his compassion for people – came from his life experiences, difficult as many of them must surely have been. Wish away Paul’s experiences and you wish away the kind, tolerant, caring, devoted, and resilient man that he became – the man we all loved, and the man we call came to remember and celebrate here today.

-----

Paul’s father Stephen shares,

“My son Paul was passionately working with me on plans for the first recovery home for Rockland Recovery Homes, Inc., a non-profit organization recently established with the mission to support people in recovery from addiction by improving their access to safe, stable residences, along with providing them with peer and community support. As Paul and our family have experienced first-hand, for those suffering from this disease, support of this nature is greatly lacking and is desperately needed so that lives may be saved and so other families can avoid this heartbreak.

"Paul died March 17th. With the support of the community, his family hopes to dedicate and name the first Rockland Recovery residence “Paul’s Place.” In the future, you’ll find additional information at www.rocklandrecoveryhomes.org.”

Read more about Rockland Recovery Homes here.