Paul Ditman - Online Memorial Website

My son John enjoyed scouting and earned his Eagle Scout.  Paul also enjoyed scouting, I believe my only brother to join scouts.  When JW was getting ready to go to his first week long scout camp, Paul warned him about some of the FUN he could experience.  On his first camping trip, Paul's troop mates filled both of his shoes (the only pair he took on the trip) with syrup during the night.  Paul discovered the sticky mess when he put his feet in them the next morning.  I believe he shared some other scout camp experiences with JW, but I suspect not stories you share with your mom!!!

For awhile around 1993, Paul had a radio show on a local Burlington VT station. It was a call-in show giving advice about computers called "Chip Chat." Once when his Dad and I were visiting him, he had us appear as guests on his show. His Dad talked about his experiences as computer maintenance foreman for the electric company, and I talked about my Apple Newton handheld computer. It was a lot of fun - one of our few opportunities to see Paul "at work."

I remember toddler Paul in his footed PJs trying to snap the pants to the top, but he was having trouble because he was trying to snap the bottom to his belly button. And something we had to do when we moved to the new house around that time - we had to put screen around the open back porch because he kept riding his trycicle off the edge..... or was that his brother Jimmy???

 

My son Paul was just amazing. He had a special place in my heart from the time he was conceived. His relationship with his Dad can be spelled in one word. LOVE. I cried a lot when Paul was growing up in my home; mostly tears of joy; when he graduated from Einstein High a year early, when I was on his radio show where we answered call ins on the air, the way he treated his Mother with reverence never an angry word. I remember a special holiday with Paul, we biked the C&O canal from Cumberland to Hancock camping on the towpath sharing tears of joy. I was very sad the night Paul's car burnt up. Paul got in many scrapes growing up; I could not ever get angry. He was such a lovable child. He is with God now and I will surely be with him again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10/26/07
I am still too torn up to write anything of real substance.  Maybe in a week or so I will be able to stay focused on the keyboard long enough to share some of the plethora of wonderful memories that I have in my head of my big brother Paul.   Just a few would be, my first beer, him getting me my first real job in computers, being my best man (twice), long-long talks on the telephone, getting a strait answer, knowing that you are loved unconditionally and having a real best friend.   I never much believed in god, heaven, hell and all that, but I sure do hope to see Paul again.
 
His Little brother Chuck