Paul Douglas Amos

Paul Douglas Amos, age 63, passed away on August 12, 2023. When Paul’s 4th grade teacher penned the verse, “Most artistic, friend to all, August 31st was blessed with Paul”, she would put into words what the rest of us would see and come to know over the years ahead. 

Paul was born to Doug and Alice Amos on August 31, 1959, and called Richfield home. He joined his older brother David, and soon his two sisters, Carol and Sally, completed the happy family of six. With an adventurous and fun-loving spirit, he loved to tell tall tales and jokes and always had a big smile to share. The friends he made in elementary, junior high and high school became lifelong friends. His love of sports, music, photography, art, camping, fishing and travel followed him throughout the years to come. 

Paul had a gift for music, first learning to play piano as a required prerequisite to getting what he really wanted – a drum set. A guitar soon followed. He took lessons and practiced for hours on his own, teaching himself a long list of songs that he would still play easily by memory for years to come when asked by friends or family to “bring your guitar” to outings. 

After attending Augsburg College and getting his degree in Marketing, he began his job search and was offered a temporary position with 3M. When that position ended, he met his future wife, Mary, when she interviewed him for a position at another company where she was employed. 3M called him a few days after that interview, offering him a full-time position and beginning his 37-year sales and marketing career. When telling the story of how he met Mary, he would often say, “I didn’t get the job, but I got a wife!” 

His first sales job involved a transfer to St. Louis and he and Mary continued dating long distance.  When he accepted his next transfer to New York City, an engagement and wedding followed with Flemington, New Jersey as their new home.  When Ryan was born in 1992, Paul had just completed his MBA and began applying for 3M marketing jobs back in Minnesota, landing the position he wanted.  Buying land near Stillwater and building their first home together, Mary and Paul settled back into their Minnesota roots, welcoming their daughter, Rachel, a few years later. 

During high school, he was catcher for the baseball team, co-captain of the soccer team, and was recruited to the downhill ski race team and discovered what you could say was his true calling as an athlete and sports enthusiast. He continued to be involved in ski racing in many ways over the years to come, racing in a league with work friends and becoming a coach for Wild Mountain D-Team, encouraging Ryan and Rachel to ski race too. He completed his 22nd year volunteering at the Birds of Prey World Cup in Beaver Creek in December of 2022, the place where he earned the nickname, 8 Mile, and made a legion of new friends.

His parents instilled a love of travel and adventure in their family. Paul was fortunate to see a good deal of the U.S.A. on family roads trips, packed in the station wagon with his brother and sisters, offering that great sibling bonding time.  He joined a hiking and climbing expedition and traveled to Nepal in 2016, a trip of a lifetime.  On a solo trip to Argentina in 2017, he made good use of his Spanish, navigating his way from Buenos Aires down to Patagonia.  Another trip of a lifetime.  In the summer of 2021, he visited his 50^th state – Alaska.   

His interest in oil painting began at an early age. He continued to do many paintings over the years and, when he retired in 2019, he began taking lessons from an instructor/friend a few miles down the road from his home. He was passionate about learning all he could and completed many plein air paintings in the summer months as well as studio paintings in the winter. 

Paul never lost his fun-loving spirit and made making new friends look easy.  And he was good at keeping friends too. He would reach out with a phone call to remember a birthday or just to catch up.  He valued old and new friends alike and made the most of any time spent together. 

Paul loved life and lived it to the fullest every day. He will be remembered for his joyful presence and beaming smile. When we embrace life with laughter and love, as he did, we give honor to his memory. 
 
Paul was preceded in death by his parents, Doug and Alice Amos. 

He is survived by and will be greatly missed by his wife, Mary; son, Ryan; daughter, Rachel (fiancé, Josh); brother, David (Jennifer) Amos; sisters, Carol (Marty) Weber and Sally (Tracy) Stille, and family through marriage, John (Deb) Boll, Ray (Charlot) Boll, Al Boll and Mina Sahu, Jean (Winston) Kindem, Judy (Jay) Alberio and Wayne (Ayako) Boll and by many nieces and nephews: Adam Stille, Callee Amos, Lauren Stille, Claire (Brad) Zwagerman, Joe Weber, Carole (Marc) Velaquez, Cathy Kindem and Paul Olson, Lee (Tracey) Boll, Kelly Boll, Steven Boll, Fletcher (Emily) Boll, Erin (Blair) Suzuki, Amber (Manta) Dircks, Ishan Sahu, Nick Boll and Dan Boll. 

A Celebration of Life for Paul will be held on Thursday August 24th at 11AM at BRADSHAW CELEBRATION OF LIFE CENTER, (2800 Curve Crest Blvd in Stillwater), with a visitation beginning 1 hour before. Lunch to follow.  Private burial will take place at South Elim Lutheran Cemetery in Scandia, MN. 

The music and worship at Eaglebrook Church were a source of great comfort and strength for Paul.  In lieu of flowers, the family encourages donations to Eaglebrook Church, Camp Kesem – University of MN Chapter or a donation of your choice. 

The family wishes to extend a heartfelt thank you to the staff at Lakeview Homecare & Hospice for the care and affection they gave Paul.