Paul Tolbert

Paul Daniel Tolbert was born April 14, 1963 in New Orleans, LA. He was the first child welcomed to the union of Bernadine Johnson Tolbert and Rudolph Tolbert, both of whom preceded him in death. They moved to Chicago, IL when he was a preschooler and that is where he grew up. He attended Shoop Elementary School where his mother taught for many years. Paul attended Morgan Park High School on Chicago’s far south side. He skipped a grade in elementary school and graduated high school in 1980. He took classes in Russian language each year of high school and was a merit scholar. He began undergraduate studies in pre-med at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL. His academic interest shifted to Slavic languages resulting in a bachelor’s degree and a desire to pursue advanced studies in Slavic languages. He earned academic scholarships/fellowships to become an ivy leaguer at Brown University in Rhode Island. He earned a master’s degree and completed all but his dissertation for a PhD in Slavic languages with an emphasis on Russian language. Paul’s burning desire to address his bucket list led him to leave Brown and travel to Europe with some of the great people he had met and befriended in school. They traveled to Belgium, Germany, Czechoslovakia, Austria, Italy and other countries. He had the time of his life! His travels were cut short when his mother became ill necessitating his return to Chicago. Later that year he shifted his travel and living westward to Washington and eventually Colorado. Paul was an avid Scrabble player and loved solving crossword and Sudoku puzzles. It’s no surprise that his career began with bookstores. In Denver, he worked initially at Tattered Cover Book Store, then moved to become bookstore manager at Community College of Aurora and then to Arapahoe Community College where he worked more than 20 years. It was at Tattered Cover that he met Laura Cassidy and married her soon thereafter. They had two handsome and talented boys, Jamon, now 19 and Xander, now 16. They reside in Indian Hills, CO. Paul had a quiet , yet inviting personality which resulted in lifelong friendships everywhere he studied, worked and lived. He was loyal to Chicago sports teams, always watching the Bulls or the Bears play, whether they were at their peak or not. He played basketball but contrary to what others would say he never felt he was a great player with his 6’4″ frame. Paul loved food, especially Chicago stuffed pizza, White Castle Hamburgers and Coca-Cola. He enjoyed cooking as well, including traditional dishes such as gumbo and experimental undertakings. Paul had many talents including a love of music which began at an early age. Musical activities included the “mini family talent shows” singing Jackson 5 songs, playing piano, baritone, trombone and guitar. He composed and recorded his own music, performed in bands and more! Some of his long-time favorite performers were Michael Jackson, Barry Manilow, The Police (Sting) and Stevie Wonder. He wrote and recorded hundreds of songs. At one point in his life he wanted to become a rock star! His focus eventually changed to wanting to enjoy capturing a beautiful melody for those around him and fostering the talents of his boys. He WAS a rock star to all of us. In addition to his passion for music he loved to watch movies with his boys and watching them engage in vigorous playing of video games. He leaves to mourn: his wife, Laura; children, Jamon and Xander; aunt Bernadine; uncle, Rameses; sisters, Maria and Geraldine; brother, Roger; mother-in-law, Anna; sisters-in-law, Jennifer, Karin, Sarah, Shelley, and Sabrina; brothers-in-law, Brendan and Ezekiel; nieces, Shannon, Kayla, Naomi, Loriana, Madison; nephews, Ewan, Robert, Benjamin; several cousins, especially Cornelius (Tiger), Carol, Joseph (Manuel), Cazeline, Gwendolyn, Geralyn (Pee-wee); and countless special friends, including Bret, Keith, Amber, Jesse, Luan, Alana, Nancy, and many more around the world.