Paul Emil Goeckeritz

Paul Emil Goeckeritz passed away tragically and unexpectedly on August 26th, 2022 at the age of 23. He is survived by countless friends and family who love him dearly. Paul is remembered most for his inventiveness, ambition, humor, and–most of all–compassion. Close ones were intrigued by his unique outlooks on life, but protected by his supportive care. He was the person to be called when help was needed without hesitation. He could also always be counted on for a great laugh and a loving hug. His joyous and funny nature was warmly infectious to all those who came to know him as a friend. Memento Mori. Paul was one to know that life is short, and one must make the best of their finite time on this planet. Yet, the flame that burns twice as bright burns half as long. This was Paul’s journey. He burned bright on this Earth, and the warmth he gave to those he kept close is already sorely, devastatingly missed. Without him, the world feels colder. The void of his presence is already felt. I. Inventiveness. “There are no memories that will ever compare to the memories I have with Paul,” shares Stevye Jackson, close friend to Paul, “they were all unexpected and fun. You always felt like you were on an adventure if you were with him.” At an early age, Paul was the life, joy, and leader of his childhood friend group of friends. Even if lacking in toys and games, Paul would stop boredom in its tracks through creativity and imagination. He created new and original games for all the kids to play, figuring out the rules as he went along. Paul made himself known as an inventor. Paul was always a step beyond every other kid on the block. When Paul would get to building something, everyone else had to keep up with his lofty goals. For instance, one day, Paul was building something new, and no one was quite sure what it was yet. A prototype emerged: What Paul created was a full, bionic Iron Man-type suit out of cardboard. It progressed further when he started amassing money from chores and neighborhood odd jobs to purchase a raspberry pie. Not to eat–of course–but to serve as the “brains” of the bionic suit. “Do you want Skynet?” his brother Nate asked incredulously. “Because this is how you get Skynet.” Paul attached that raspberry pie as the neural net intelligence of the suit. Perhaps that suit is still out there somewhere, walking aimlessly, self-aware with its raspberry-infused artificial intelligence. Sadly, it has likely felt the loss of its creator. Paul could also be found running across the yard because he was trying to light off a sketchy homemade rocket, or making marzipan out of boiled almonds, or drawing up a ridiculously complicated Army game with his brother Seth. He was always the experimenter, the ambitious kid, the guy with the plans (literal, drawn-out blueprints, what kid does that? Paul did.) Not all of his inventions led to success. There was, of course, the ill-fated cardboard airplane that was worked on all one summer. Paul used up all the tape, spare screws, and bolts he could lay his hands on, as well as cereal and diaper boxes (that his mother discreetly advised face inward, which aesthetically Paul saw the sense of). Upon completion, he wanted to immediately see if he could fly it off the deck. His mother suggested that he should if it would glide first. Giving it a quick test run, it fell like a rock. Yet, he rallied and tried again, undefeated. In addition to his creativity, Paul also had a sense of ambition. II. Ambition. As early as 6, Paul founded a company, “Jaft.” His brother, Nathan, says “Paul never gave up on that dream. As he grew older, it became more serious, envisioning it as a software company initially before moving beyond to other things.” Paul started with video games. One was an early alpha version for “Ninjas In Outerspace”, a Mario-type platforming game. He had plans for many more games and other goals. Paul had so many dreams ahead of him, and it is deeply tragic that we will not be able to witness them in all their strange, wonderful glory. Still, Paul was able to realize success in his life. When he came and interviewed for a new job at a plumbing company several years ago, he was working for Jimmy Johns at the time. The interviewer–and eventually his boss, Matt Naylor asked Paul what he wanted to accomplish. Paul said “I want to learn how to be a great plumber and I want to make money! Throw as many hours my way as you can.” Matt later recounts: “We did exactly that, and several years later, Paul was one of our best plumbers. He had his own house and a rental at 22. Simply amazing! Paul had determination rarely seen in today’s world.” Paul also loved to share in friendly competition with others. Friend of Paul, Alma Wayman, recounts a recurring competition of cooking the best steak. “I remember cooking up these really awesome T-bone steaks, and Paul had to concede that they were cooked perfectly. But unable to allow himself to be defeated, he showed up next time with freaking Wagyu steaks, pan fried them, and totally won!” Paul didn’t want to steal all the glory for himself. He also shared his ambitions by encouraging others. Close friend Katrina shares that, “In high school, we talked a lot about the future, he'd always say he wanted to be an aerospace engineer and I wanted to be an electrical engineer. So we'd talk a lot about science and tech, and joke that we were going to start our own company and get filthy rich. What I loved most was how supportive he was, he always encouraged me and Taylor to do our best, and never doubted that we would succeed. He was such a true and loyal friend. He made such a huge impact on my life, he was my best friend for a really long time.” Though Paul was not able to pursue his wildest ambitions, he still left a positive, profound impact on the world through the people he knew. “Thank you for the time you did give us,” friend Zoe Fedderson shares. “It’s terrifying for me to even fathom what my life would’ve looked like without you in it. Yet it brings me comfort knowing that now you aren’t here anymore you are finally able to rest, and can finally feel God's love and our love. You deserve this love. Thank you, Paul, for everything. Seriously. For you, I’m gonna go on now, and do my best. Thank you for the life you did give me Paul. I love you.” III. Humor. Paul was always quick to bring lightheartedness to any situation, no matter how serious it was, in an effort to calm those around him. He was the life of any party, always cracking jokes. Not all of them were well received, but he tried nonetheless to lighten a difficult situation with humor. Friend Alma Wayman shares: “A funny personal memory I have of him: after I had gallbladder surgery, I had this cool scar across my upper abdomen and for an entire year, Paul would affectionately call me, “Low-budget Tony Stark.” Daniel Wayman also remembers a particularly funny inside joke between friends. “I remember when Paul first started working with me as a trainee: I would always bring lunch in the afternoon and coffee in the morning to the job sites to keep the guys focused and working to move projects along smoothly. I remember one day calling him to ask if he wanted guacamole on his burrito. He laughed at me and said, “I’m not the rich kid that can afford guacamole.” He’s happy just to get some rice and a tortilla shell. All that extra stuff was for those rich people. So, I made sure every time I got him guacamole. So, Paul made a running joke out of it, naming me “that Guacamole Money ” Every time I saw him or would call to check up on him, He would always say: “Are you making that guacamole money?” while laughing underneath his breath.” Taylor, friend of Paul, shares one of his more humorous interactions with the departed. “Paul was one of my groomsmen at my wedding, and all my groomsmen wore kilts instead of suits. Paul was very against this and made it known, haha. He kept telling me that he's not showing off his legs. He said he had these monstrous hairy legs. But Paul is the kind of guy who would do anything for his friend, and got the kilt and the get up. Shortly before the wedding, he came over to our house one night and kept joking about how he was going to shave from right below his knees to right above them, since that was his only exposed part of his legs. We all joked about it all the time. When the wedding finally came, he hadn't actually shaved his legs - he was there fully supporting Katrina and I. We all have a good laugh about it to this day. IV. Compassion. Paul was always willing to help anyone in need. He went the extra mile to make sure people were taken care of. No matter what time: day or night. Friend Alma Wayman also shares: “One really awesome thing I’ll always remember about Paul: for every project I had going on at my house, he was always happy to come over and help me with it, and if I did it by myself he would usually give me crap for not calling him.” Regarding his altruism and character, close friend Stevye says that, “Paul is my big brother, my best friend, my protector. He would do anything for anybody that he loved. If you accepted Paul for who he was, there was nothing that could stop the love he had for you.” Paul was also a friend to animals. Katrina–a close Friend of Paul’s, recounts that, “Any time he came to our house he'd spend almost half the time cuddling our dog Kida, then threatening to take her home with him. She loved him so much. He'd always call our dogs his "good sweet ones" and we even officially made him the godfather of Kida. Another funny thing is he'd always wear black and immediately start complaining about the fur all over his shirt the second he walked in the door. We joked about how it was his own fault on multiple occasions.” Once again: Memento Mori. “Paul and I had a soul-bond. He was so selfless and goofy and unforgettable. I feel like there’s just a giant hole inside of me without him here. He became an actual family member in my family. My parents became his parents. I told him I wanted him to be my daughter's godfather, much to his disliking. I have so much that I could say about him, but I’m just not sure if any of it will make sense to other people. Paul is an unforgettable soul with so much kindness and love in his being. I was so prepared for Paul to be a huge part of my daughter's life, and the fact that he is no longer able to do that absolutely destroys me. He became a son to my parents and a brother to me… Even if he disregarded that term. I am so broken and lost right now without him in this world. My best friend was a gift to this universe and there’s not a single soul that will ever come close to who he was. Any person he crossed he was memorable to them. The fact that my person is no longer here on this earth crushes me in more ways than one. He brought life, love, joy, laughter, he brought everything he could to make other people happy even if you didn’t expect it. He touched everybody’s soul in the littlest way. He made people feel good about themselves and good about life. I’m crushed I’ll never have the chance to hear his voice again.” - Stevye Jackson You never plan for someone to leave, Life feels empty without you here. We will never see you again, And it's almost too much to bear. We miss you more than words can say, Proud of who you became. Knowing that you're gone now, Life will never be the same.Thank you for sharing your smile, You were always protective and strong, Thank you for being yourself, With us you'll always belong. -Ruth Goeckeritz, Sister

Paul Emil Goeckeritz

May 3, 1999 - August 27, 2022