Obituary

Paul Howard Good was born on July 11, 1935, on the 1,100-acre ranch homesteaded by his grandparents outside Elgin, Oregon. He was the first of four children born to Howard Chapin Good and Lillian Evadne (Arnold) Good.
He was preceded in death by his parents and siblings (Warren Douglas Good, Richard (Dick) Irwin Good and Daisy (Lenny) Lenore (Good) Daw.
He attended school in Elgin, Oregon. He would frequently drive his siblings to and from their bus stop on the ranches 30 Cat. After graduating high school, he attended Oregon Technical Institute, graduating with a degree in diesel mechanics. One of his class projects was to remake a planer bit for the lathe in the ranch shop. He earned an A for that class project. He also saved the ranch a large amount of money as they only needed to pay for the weight of the finished product, rather than the weight of the very large piece of metal needed to start. He also worked in the campus fire department. Paul never stopped in his quest for more knowledge. He was always eager to learn information in any field.
Paul served his country in the Army from 1959-1961 as a Spec4 mechanic in the Military Police at Fort Ord, California.
On September 28, 1962 Paul married Anna Bernice Campbell, of Helix, Oregon. They moved into a small travel trailer on the Good family ranch. Paul started building a house just ¼ mile from the home he grew up in, which was built by his grandfather. Paul and Anna had two children, Douglas Irwin Good and Laura “Laurie” Sue (Good) Kautz.
Prior to his father passing away, Paul and Anna assumed the mortgage on the family ranch. Paul and his brother, Dick, ran the family ranch together. Paul managed the ranch, a custom farming operation, as well as a 5-bay repair shop on the property. Dick managed the timber and cattle operation.
On November 30th, 1971 the family was returning to Elgin from Portland. As they were crossing Cabbage Hill on I-84, they hit black ice and spun off the road. Paul suffered a C6-7 spinal cord injury and lost the use of his limbs.
Paul’s initial rehabilitation was at Long Beach, CA VA Hospital in their spinal cord injury unit. He was told that he could expect to remain there like the other patients around him, never return to work, and most likely die within 2 ½ years. He quickly decided he did not want that fate. That motivated him to put more effort into his rehab. Even though he was determined to get back to work, the ranch was not an option. Paul turned the ranch to his brother, Dick. At that point Paul moved with his wife and children to Walla Walla, Washington, where he spent the rest of his life. They chose Walla Walla in order to be closer to the VA hospital.
Paul took an internship with the Corps of Engineers in their Hydrology department. He learned how to write computer programs and maintained water management records. That internship grew into a 38-year career. During that time, he made many friends, received several awards and enjoyed having a purpose and learning new skills.
After his retirement Paul continued to keep track of weather and road conditions for several locations where he might have friends or family from his home computer. He had a large group of friends that he would email on a regular basis.
Paul was known for both his drive as well as his upbeat attitude. Several times he would visit new spinal cord patients on the rehab ward where Anna worked. He would share his wisdom and advice and the message that their lives were not over, just different. Nursing students would also come to his custom-built home as part of their curriculum. They were able to see how he handled his activities of daily living with a large degree of independence.
Paul always enjoyed spending time with his two grandsons, William (Will) Chapin Kautz and Hunter Glenn Kautz. He spoke with both grandsons Christmas morning and learned that Will was looking into attending college to become a mechanic. Hunter shared with his grandpa that he had been selected for the honor band.
Paul is survived by his wife, Anna; his two children, Douglas and Laura; his two grandsons, Will and Hunter; four sisters-in-law; three brothers-in-law and many nieces and nephews.