Paul Richard Best

July 29, 1944 - August 16, 2020

Paul R. Best, 76, of Oviedo, Florida died tragically on August 16, 2020, doing what he loved to do literally daily: biking. He was born on July 29, 1944 in Berwyn, Illinois and lived most of his life in La Grange, Illinois before taking up residence in Oviedo in the fall of 2014 and eventually moving to The Haven Retirement Community. After graduation from Lyons Township High School (LaGrange, IL) in 1962, Paul began his life’s journey which was marked by service to others, guided by his personal relationship with Jesus Christ, his Lord and Savior, and packed with adventure! After a failed initial attempt in pursuit of a college degree, Paul’s foundational first adult life adventure was a multi-month backpacking trip through Europe. Upon his return and no life direction readily evident, he enlisted in the US Army’s Officers Training School where he attained the rank of 2nd Lieutenant. Eventually he was assigned to a service-oriented job in Vietnam; his battalion was tasked with the relocation, out of the war zone, of the indigenous Montagnard people. Eventually Paul would rise to the rank of Colonel through his 20 plus years of service in the Army Reserve! Equipped with the army instilled tools of discipline, Paul enrolled at Elmhurst College and obtained a BA in Elementary Education. He would initially teach in Western Springs, lL as well as 5th and 6th grade classes in Downers Grove, IL. While teaching, he pursued a Masters in Education Administration at Concordia College. This eventually enabled him to serve as a much beloved principal at Whittier Elementary School in Downers Grove where he served until his retirement in June 2001. No traditional retirement, Paul just expanded upon his favorite avocations as well as keeping his foot in the educational world. Almost without exception, these avocations were tied closely to the service of others. Educationally, he served at Paul Revere School in Chicago under the auspices of the Comer Science and Education Foundation. Most recently, after moving to Oviedo, he served as a substitute teacher at St. Luke’s School. Prior to retirement, he began a hobby of woodworking. Over the years his skills improved, and he ended up building an unknown number of items for innumerable family and friends. He was especially blessed by the access he had to the woodworking shop at The Haven and all of the professional equipment. His zest for travel only broadened in retirement Traveling to the four corners of the world and the United States through various means of transportation. He traveled to Europe, including numerous trips to Austria and Latvia on missions trips. Honduras was another destination of service. He also returned to Vietnam and was able to visit the region where he served in the Army, where he met some of the Montagnards and their descendant family members. US trips regularly involved trips to visit family members In Boston, Chicago, and Dallas. A subset of his travels were his bicycle trips. His major trips included a summer bike trip from Chicago to Boston. In two successive trips, he traveled by bike from Chicago to Montana and finally The Pacific Coast in Washington east to Montana. One other major trip was Chicago to Florida. Biking was by far his favorite avocation, which he did literally until the end of his life. Yet by and far his main allegiance was to his family and his faith. He was a member of the Western Springs Baptist Church in Illinois for around 50 years and a regular attender and participant at the St. Luke’s Lutheran Church. At each church it was his joy to serve the community where God had placed him in the name of Jesus Christ. Paul lived a full and wonderful life, and his absence will be felt by so many. His unique humor and his care for those he loved immensely will be missed, but remembered fondly, because of the huge impact he had. Paul leaves behind two wonderful daughters, Gretel and Elissa, and their families, as well as the mother of his daughters, Kathi. Gretel (Best) Roberts resides in Dallas, Texas with her husband, Andy, and their three children, Maggie, Micah and Jack. Elissa resides in Watertown, Massachusetts with her wife, Caitlin, and her three boys, Henry, Tucker and Ziggy. Kathi (Oosting) Best also resides in Dallas, Texas. Paul was preceded in death by his parents, Elmer and Dorothy Best. Paul was also preceded in death by his older brother, James. He also leaves behind three younger brothers. David in Willowbrook, Illinois, Philip (Vicki) in Topsfield, Massachusetts and Jon (Julie) in LaGrange, Illinois. He also leaves behind numerous nieces and nephews and grand nieces and nephews. Finally, Paul’s greatest desire would be that you could say along with him the verse that started his day and his bike rides - “This is the day that Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24 If you would like to donate in memory of Paul Best, please consider one of the following charities. Latvia Mission fund An online memorial donation may be given to St. Luke’s Lutheran Church at sllcs.org/give/ and specify Latvia Mission Fund. A separate email would need to be sent to Lisa Prusak (CFO) at [email protected] to specify “In Memory of Paul Best”. Mail a check to (“In Memory of Paul Best” in the memo line): St. Luke's Lutheran Church Attn: Latvia Mission Fund 2021 W SR 426 Oviedo, FL 32765 In lieu of flowers, the family request donations be made to: Bikes Not Bombs https://bikesnotbombs.org/ .