Every week, I will be profiling an extraordinary human being who lives in our community. If you know someone who is doing something interesting with their life, I want to hear about it. Send me an email at [email protected].
Some people are like magic. They have a profound effect on everyone they meet. Paul Fenc was no exception. In a very simple and beautiful way, he was special.
Evan Martell will forever remember his good friend Paul (better known as JC to all of his friends) as the kind of guy who would give anyone the last dollar in his pocket and the shirt off his back. He grabbed life by the horns and was the life of the party.
“The love that came back from him… well, it’s surreal really,” says 29-year-old Evan.
The few close friends who knew him are reeling from Paul’s dealth. The 39-year-old homeless man burned in a van on Chaffey Street while seeking warmth from the cold last Saturday night. He had no immediate family in the area, although it is said his family is completely devastated.
What was so remarkable about Paul was how he left a lasting impression on nearly everyone who came in contact with him. Paul was given the nickname JC (short for Jesus Christ) as his friends say he resembled Jesus with his long hair and kind and giving ways. He was also born on Christmas Day, so the nickname was undeniably fitting.
Paul Fenc (right) in an undated photo with family (Photo supplied by Evan Martell)
Prior to his arrival in Huntsville more than a decade ago, Paul spent close to 10 years living in the wilderness in northern Alberta with a group of First Nations people. It was living there that Paul acquired his bush sense. He loved the outdoors and being connected to nature. He came to the area with his love, Darlene, and they got an apartment in town. Paul was crushed when Darlene passed away from cancer three years ago.
“After his wife died he sort of lost his sensibility,” explained Evan, adding that Paul also suffered from a small disability and had only one eye. It wasn’t too long after Darlene’s passing that Paul lost the apartment and started living outside. “They were a match… It was divine love and her death sent him into a bit of a tailspin. We would move him in for the winters. He seemed to be able to handle the rain and elements. We didn’t have to worry about him. He actually gave the shirt of his back on more than one occasion. And he didn’t care if he had five bucks or $500. That just didn’t matter to him.”
Evan though he never accumulated material things, Paul led a fulfilling life. He seemed quite content living on next to nothing. He got by being a drifter, a roamer, a couch surfer, and hardly ever complained about anything.
Evan stayed in close contact with Paul over the years and the two became good friends. The last time he saw Paul was a week ago. His spirits were good and he was happy, despite just getting kicked out of a friend’s house.
I asked how he was doing and he instinctively pulled out some money and gave it to me. We sort of played tug of war with it until I was able to shove it back in his hand.
Evan Martell on the last time he saw his friend
Evan called Paul a “really cool guy to be around” who had a great passion for music and a ‘let the good times roll’ attitude. He called Paul’s death a preventable tragedy and said even though Paul was bush smart, the cold weather happened so fast and caught him off guard. Evan had even contemplated building Paul an insulated fish hut. Evan said Paul would still be here if someone would have simply opened up their garage or home to him. However, Paul was not the kind of guy who would ask for help anyway.
“I believe this [Paul’s death] is a direct result of the men’s shelter not being open. It should have been opened two years ago. Hopefully this will make something be done about it. We could only hold him up in our apartment we had for so long. We bounced him around with the few people we knew. It wasn’t exactly safe; Paul had been in some violent situations and he wasn’t the best at protecting himself.”
Terry Fetterly, who became acquainted with Paul through his son, still can’t believe Paul is gone. Terry welcomed Paul into his home many times and said he was one of the most genuine people he has ever met. According to Terry, Paul kept in touch with his family out west and his father would often send him letters and pictures of his friends.
He was a prince among men, just a little off-sided. He was a sweet soul, with a heart as big as Casa Loma. He had the best demeanour. He didn’t care about money. He always had a big smile on his face. I loved him. I really did. And I’m really going to miss him. If anybody is going to heaven, it’s him.Terry Fetterly
Rick Williams, District of Muskoka’s Commissioner of Community Services, indicated that although he didn’t have direct contact with Paul, district staff were deeply impacted by his death. He said Paul was heavily engaged with a number of staff and was actively seeking employment skills and also had mental health-related issues he was working on.
“He was the sort of person people really responded to and wanted to help,” said Rick. “I think the type of work we’re in inevitably means dealing with people who are vulnerable, and we try to employ and attract people who are sensitive to those vulnerabilities. It’s something we always hate to see happen. We’re going to continue to work with partners and services; we have a very active Muskoka homeless planning table – the Salvation Army, The Table, a large number of service organizations, churches and mental health organizations. We’re all going to have to work harder and dig deeper as a result of this incident.”
Finally, it’s official. The Men’s Shelter will open on Monday, December 5, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony to occur on December 10 at 11:00 a.m. The Table welcomes all “who have contributed to the creation of our shelter, and those who are grateful for it’s existence, to come and celebrate with us.”
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A funny story to share Paul’s sense of humour … One nice September day many years ago … my mom and I were coming out if the Rocky motor vehicles. On the bench outside was a sleeping-upright Paul.. He had duct taped a sign to the front of his shirt that read PLEASE DO NOT DISTURB
GONE TO MY HAPPY PLACE
JUST FOR AWHILE
Rest now. It was my honour to have known you and call you a friend. And as Amber said, you would have gone happy knowing everyone is pissed at the government.
?
Fenc, Paul Michael
December 25, 1976 – November 20, 2016
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Paul Michael Fenc, on November 20th, 2016 at the age of 39. Paul was born on December 25th, 1976 in Rocky Mountain House, Alberta to Dale and Muriel Fenc. Paul was a man who was loved by many. He had an incredible way of perceiving and living in this world. Paul grew up on a small acreage just outside of Rocky and spent most of his early years adventuring with his best bud, Dwayne Bigelow and several other cousins and friends. He attended school in Rocky Mountain House. Paul chose to live most of his adult life living outside year round and had the incredible ability and endurance to survive any and all weather situations. Paul was an amazing survivalist and could vanish into thin air. He loved to run, hike and ride bicycle. Paul was known for his generosity and kindness, often giving all of what little he had without hesitation. In December of 2011 he traveled east with his companion Darlene Price to Huntsville, Ontario where he resided until his passing. Paul will be forever missed, Rest in peace Paul.
Paul was predeceased by his Grandfathers Les Finkbeiner and Stan Fenc, Grandmother Dorothy Fenc, son Sage Hodgson, companion Darlene Price, and best friend Dwayne Bigelow.
Paul is survived by his grandmother Myrtle Finkbeiner, father Dale (Ludy) Fenc, mother Muriel (Steve) Finkbeiner-Buchart, siblings: Lisa, Christopher and Ashley Fenc; step sister Caitlyn Butchart, step brothers Curtis and Matthew Butchart, niece Marlowe and nephew Thomas; his adopted families in Huntsville, Ontario and extended aunts, uncles and cousins.
A special thanks to: The Lord’s Food Bank, The Seventh Day Adventist Clothing Bank, Rocky Native Friendship Center, Rocky Bottle Depot, the residents of Huntsville Town and Area and all those who helped Paul through the difficult times in his life.
A memorial service in Paul’s honor will be held at the Chapel of the Rocky Funeral Home on Friday December 2nd, 2016 at 2:00 P.M. A private family inurnment will be held.
As an expression of sympathy, memorial donations in Paul’s name may be made to: The Lord’s Food Bank in Rocky Mountain House, Alberta and The Table Men’s Shelter in Huntsville, Ontario, The Table Soup Kitchen Foundation, P.O. Box 5411, Men’s Shelter, Huntsville, ON P1H 2K7 [email protected].
Condolences may be forwarded to http://www.rockyfuneralhome.ca.
Rocky and Sylvan Lake Funeral Homes, your Golden Rule Funeral Homes, entrusted with the arrangements. 403-845-2626
My funny story about Paul. He came to our garage sale in Rocky Mtn House quite a few years ago. We had a cap gun he spotted and excitedly exclaimed ‘Hey, I’ve got caps!” and he whipped a roll of caps out of his jacket. I always wondered what other random items he packed around? Sorry to hear the sad news.
And deepest condolences to you – Dale – and your entire family, who loved Paul deeply.
As a youth, it was my privilege and inspiration to witness the love and support you gave your son. As an adult I have stayed connected through our familial connections. There are no words to express my sadness… which cannot come close to what you must be feeling right now.
My heart aches for you.
Paul is from the Rocky Mountain House community. We have lost lots of our community members with mental illness. They are labelled drug addicts by community professionals and left to struggle until they die or give up and commit suicide. The people being paid to help these people just label them drug addicts to justify doing nothing to fix the problem I guess. The community Paul is from needs to help. Paul’s not the first nor will he be the last. This is the norm here. Sweep it under the rug.
There are hurting and struggling members of this community. This problem needs to be addressed. It’s like a deadly community secret.
We would like to thank the people of Huntsville and the District of Muskoka for all the kindness they have shown towards my son Paul. He often commented how well he was treated.
Paul had chosen to live in outdoor settings most of his adult life. It seemed to help relieved the pressures he felt when being part of society. Paul learned to survive any weather conditions and any other situations that came up.
The events that led to Paul’s death was not caused because the TABLE facility was not yet open, it was Paul’s poor decision making that evening.
We are happy to know that the TABLE will be opening soon for those who needs it and hopefully shelters in other communities will be built as well. In situation like this people’s emotions run high and tend to look for blame. There is no one to blame in this case.
I spoke with Paul November 17th and he said he would like to come home for two weeks at Christmas but would head HOME to Huntsville after that.
On Paul’s behalf; Thanks to Everyone!
Goodbye Paul. We’ll miss you forever.
Love, Dad
They should name the shelter after him.. ? in hopes that it will be a reminder so this tragedy won’t repeat itself! ? RIP JC.. ❤️
Many thanks Laura for telling us the full life story of Paul, with the ending of it being so very sad. To me it sounds like he enjoyed life and really didn’t mind lots of hardships. I will now try to focus and remember the good times he had and how kind he was to his friends. This was a good person.