On July 17, 2008, we lost our dear friend Paul "Pablo" Eden at the age of 61.

Pablo was such a kind soul, always witty and ready to laugh at himself and others. We met when we were neighbors at Coral Bay Apts and I was brought into Pablo's Game Night Gang - friends who played games every Sunday night. What fun we had. Pablo introduced me to my beloved husband Paul. Pablo and Paul were best friends, riding motorcycles together and having coffee together and LAUGHING LAUGHING LAUGHING.

Pablo had a playful side that animals and children loved. He would get on his hands and knees at our house and chase our dogs around the living room, barking at them. He could make conversation with anyone from any walk of life, putting them right at ease. He loved to think up clever sayings and get T-shirts printed with them.

We laughed together at Pablo's many idiosyncrasies - on a diet one day, and eating an entire box of cat cookies or Tofutti Cuties or ice cream the next. When I met him in 1996, he had a huge chunk of foam (the size of a mattress) that he would carve pieces out of to make kitchen sponges. He loved waffles and home-cooked meals - something he didn't get often. He loved the Car Guys on NPR, and loved nature even more. He was the Conservation Chairman of the Sierra Singles branch of the local Sierra Club. He was passionately against the Vietnam war, and was a wonderful story teller. We loved to hear stories of his younger wilder days. He was always the first to arrive at a party - punctual Pablo - with bags of party stuff.

Pablo was a joy to my daughter Avery, now 2.5 years old. He brought her a toy every time he'd visit, and introduced Avery to Winnie the Pooh (still one of her favorite characters). Pablo could chat with Avery on a toddler level, something most adults find challenging. Avery still talks about "Plabo", wanted a picture of him in her room, and knows which toys he gave her.

Paul, Lynne and I held an informal memorial for Pablo on Saturday, November 1. In Pablo's honor, we had waffles with berries, listened to some great music, planted an oak tree by our new woodland deck, read some poetry, sang a Beatles song, and reminisced. It was very peaceful.

Peace for Pablo's soul, and our best wishes to Pablo's family and friends. It’s a tragedy for all of us who knew and loved him. We will miss him so. But as Pablo used to say, I hope it's only "Bye for now."

You can read Pablo's obituary or enter your remembrances at Pablo's online Guest Book, available until 9/27/09.