Paul Sundman died April 29 at his home in ColoradoSprings. He was surrounded by his loving family, including his wife Jennifer,son Kyle and daughter Jillian.
Paul was born on Sept. 14, 1962, to John and MargaretSundman. He was the youngest of seven children, and is survived by his parents,as well as three brothers: Michael, John, and Peter; and three sisters:Maureen, Barbara, and Margaret. He is also survived by 19 nephews and nieces.
Paul spent his childhood in North Caldwell, N.J., andattended high school in Ohio and Connecticut. After graduating from VanderbiltUniversity in 1984, he moved to Vermont, where he was a vice president of thethen-fledgling Burton Snowboards.
While at Vanderbilt, Paul spent a semester of his junioryear studying in Aix-en-Provence in the south of France. During his springbreak, he visited Chamonix, where, on a train station platform, he met anotherAmerican also studying abroad. The fellow traveler was Jennifer Ann Young, whowould become the love of Paul's life. The two were married five years later andcelebrated their 20th anniversary in January of this year.
In 1989 Paul earned an M.B.A. from Georgetown University.He lived and worked in Washington, D.C., as a management consultant forDeloitte and Touche. Two years later he eschewed corporate life and moved withJennifer to her hometown of Colorado Springs, where he opened a mountain bikeand snowboard shop called "Momentum."
Before their move west, Paul and Jennifer indulged theirmutual love of travel by spending several months backpacking in such exoticlocales as Alaska, Australia, New Zealand and Tahiti.
In 1992 the couple joyously welcomed the birth of theirson, Kyle, and three years later did the same for the birth of their daughter,Jillian. Paul was extraordinarily close with his children and was involved inall aspects of their lives.
For the last 12 years, Paul worked in property managementwith Jennifer's father, Jim Young.
Paul was a superb athlete, excelling in snowboarding,mountain biking, soccer and surfing. He loved music, the outdoors, comedy andEastern philosophy.
He was also a man who treasured family, and whose familytreasured him. He never once missed the annual Sundman family reunion, agathering that included his parents and all six of his siblings and theirfamilies on Long Beach Island, N.J.
In 2003, Paul was diagnosed with A.L.S., also known asLou Gehrig's disease. Throughout his courageous battle with this terminalillness, his indomitable spirit never waned. Despite the Herculean challengesof A.L.S., Paul traveled the world, attacked the slopes with a specially rigged"sit-ski," and, most importantly, remained a dedicated husband,father, son, brother and friend.
Those of us who knew Paul Sundman will miss him dearly.He resonated dignity and grace, and his generosity of spirit inspired all whowere lucky enough to cross his path.
He was a man who did not sip at life - he gulped it.Whether he was snowboarding (first chairlift in the morning, last in theafternoon) or riding waves at the beach (is a human really meant to be in thewater for eight hours at a time?), Paul always had a childlike smile, as if hehad a secret.
Perhaps somehow he knew he was living four times the lifein half the time.
There will be a celebration of Paul's life on May 17 at 2p.m. at First Congregational Church, located at 20 E. Vrain Street. In lieu offlowers, donations can be made in Paul's name to Project A.L.S.(www.projectals.org), which funds research for the cure of A.L.S., and toChallenge Aspen/Paul's sled (www.challengeaspen.com), for the development of aspecial snowboard for the physically challenged.
