The world lost a great man today. My grandfather, Forest Max Paul. He was 86 years old. Most obituaries briefly remember the person's life through marriage, career and hobbies. I will not do this here. Instead, I would like to share special stories from each one of his grandchildren in this space. Bobby, you will be missed and always loved.
From Nick Senkovich, Grandson:
(Nick is currently 7,000 miles away in Iraq) I was thinking about Bobby the other day, because some of our quick reaction force vehicles are Chevy Luv trucks that have been refitted as Baja racing vehicles (because of the really bad and treacherous roads we have surrounding the base). Anyway, I was thinking about Bobby’s old yellow Chevy Luv truck and how I referred to it as the "Joe." For a split second that night, as I was driving, I was daydreaming about how Bobby used to give me a ride to Betty's restaurant, in the “Joe”, to have a milkshake. Something I will never forget.
From Andrea Boyaner, Granddaughter:
I can attest, that Bobby thought Education was very important, this included how to hit a golf ball properly. On a lovely spring afternoon, Bobby and Chardie took Nick and I to Pala Mesa Golf Course to hit a bucket of balls on the driving range. This was my first ever attempt holding a golf club, let alone having club meet ball in any fashion. Bobby went to grab two buckets of balls and two clubs, while I studied the gentlemen hitting the balls next to me. It looked easy enough…boy was I wrong! First attempt shanked to the right side hitting a tree branch. Second attempt was classier, smack in the middle of the 18th hole (my first and only hole-in-one). I hit some balls a couple of more times, hitting golf carts, trees and almost giving a duck a concussion. The whole time Bobby patiently stood by giving me instructions in a very calm voice. Sometime, between the 7th and 8th balls hit, I think he had had enough of my golfing skills. He very casually mentioned there was very good ice cream in the club house and mentioned that my grandmother could use some company. He didn’t have to tell me twice. I threw down my club and bolted for the freedom of Chardie and that wonderful ice cream. But that was Bobby. He would never yell and tell you were horrible (I totally was), he just causally changed the subject for the better. I’ll miss that. I hope to one day learn how to actually get the ball down the fareway so when its my turn to head to heaven, we can finally play a great game of golf together.
From Natasha Senkovich, Granddaughter:
Most don’t know this but Bobby was a jokester, one funny memory I have of Bobby is playing this silly card game with him. I would hold a card on my forehead and he would have to guess what the card was. Out of 52 cards, he guessed every single one, every time we played this game. After about the 4th time of playing this game, I finally figured out that my dad was standing behind me and mouthing the correct card to Bobby every time!
From Tami Hamilton, Granddaughter:
As you are all aware, Max did not cook. I’m not even sure he would be able to toast bread, let alone bake cupcakes. But that’s what we did one afternoon, when Chardie left us alone to our own devices. So I suggested that we make cupcakes. Close your eyes and imagine this picture: a 10-year-old-girl, a grandfather with NO baking experience and a lot of messy ingredients that will eventually come together to create a thick, gooey batter. Needless to say we soaked the kitchen in thick brown batter and I mean soaked, from floor to ceiling, including the window and curtains! About 20 minutes went into making the batter and about 2 hours went into cleaning up the mess. When everyone arrived back home we had hot chocolate cupcakes with melted frosting waiting and big, proud smiles on our faces. Little did we know that our mess would be found out in about 3.5 seconds after our proud display of culinary aptitude. We forgot to clean the ceiling.
He is survived by his wife: Charlotte, daughter: Julia, son: Jeff, brother: Richard, 6 grandchildren and 5 great grandchildren with numbers 6 & 7 on the way.
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