Paul Joseph Hoes, 47, passed away in the presence of his family on May 27, 2019. Paul was born in Green Bay to Carl and Jean (Schneider) Hoes on April 5, 1972. He graduated from Syble Hopp in 1994. Paul was a lover of the good things in life; his family, his many friends, good food, and long rides in the countryside. He had a generous and jovial nature, equally quick with kind words and sly jokes. Paul suffered from a variety of physical and mental disabilities from birth, but he never let these limitations interfere with his focus on doing what he believed mattered. He never allowed his limitations to define him. Paul sought to better himself continuously, learning to read, write, and ride a bicycle. He developed a hobby of reading and memorizing maps and was featured on television for his remarkable memory. He was very involved with the Adult Faith Sharing Group with Green Bay Religious Special Education. He was a member of this group for over 20 years. Paul participated fully in the life of the Catholic Church, including as a lector. In the final years of this life, he also accomplished two of his greatest dreams: to travel the United States, and to hold regular employment in the community. He also worked at Aspiro. Paul is survived by his mother and father; his brother Michael (Laurel) and four nieces, Sofia, Felicity, Honora and Evangeline. His aunts and uncles; Dave (Dianne) Schneider, Judy Schneider, John Kirschbaum, Rick (Joyce) Hoes, Linda Hoes, as well as many cousins and friends. Paul is preceded in death by his grandparents, George (Harriet) Schneider, Albin (Catherine) Hoes; uncles Gregory Schneider, Robert Hoes; aunts Monica Schneider Adams, Margaret Schneider Kirschbaum and his Aunt Mary Hoes Bradley who passed away 12 hours after Paul. Visitation will be held after 8:00am Monday, June 3, 2019 at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church until the Mass of Christian Burial at 10:00am with Fr. Benny Jacob O.Praem officiating. In lieu of flowers, a memorial fund will be established for Green Bay Area Religious Special Education. Paul's family would like to extend their gratitude to all of Paul's many caregivers throughout the years. Thank you to Meadowview Group Home, especially Lisa, Tina, Tracey, John and Rena, Susan Shefka-Peeters; Dr. Goolsby; the 4th floor staff at Aurora BayCare Hospital for their care and compassion. To express online condolences to the Hoes family, visit www.ryanfh.com Michael's Eulogy 6/3/2019 Thank you for being here. I know that it would relieve some tension to tell some amusing anecdotes about Paul. That would be fitting for him, because he loved a good joke. But it is not in my heart today. Instead, I am going to talk about what I learned from Paul over the years. A few years ago, I found a children's book that my brother had in his youth. It is called, "Fish is Fish." It is the story of a young fish and his friend the tadpole. The tadpole becomes a frog, and leaves for the shore of the pond and the wide world beyond. The fish tries to join him, but of course he cannot survive on land. Fortunately, he is rescued by his friend the frog and pushed back in the pond. Rather than making further vain attempts to leave the pond, or lamenting his limitations, the fish learns and accepts what he is and must be: A fish is a fish. Paul learned early in life this lesson that many of us struggle with: you cannot be what you are not, and you must be what you are. Paul was born with limitations, physical and mental. Some of these limitations meant that Paul could never do many things that most of us take for granted. The point isn't that some of us should be grateful that so many things that were hard for Paul are often easy for us. Nor is it that Paul overcame his limitations—whether we realize it, whether we accept it, limitations exist for all of us, and are at the core of being human. But Paul did not define himself by his limitations, either by mistaking the difficult for the impossible, or by the more subtle trap of defining his own success in opposition to his perceived or inherent limitations. Instead, Paul was always Paul. He did not focus on limitations; he focused on what he could do, and he did what he thought mattered. And so, not in spite of his limitations, but because of his focus, Paul's life was marked by success and flourishing as a person. Paul made his world larger. He learned to read. He learned to write. He learned to ride a bicycle. He found a hobby that he loved in car trips. He learned to read maps, and through his prodigious memory and long years of painstaking study, became a navigational oracle. He set goals of traveling to Maine, the Smoky Mountains, and North Carolina, and accomplished them. Most importantly, every year Paul made himself a better Paul. He made many friends. Many were often the victims of his wit, as he habitually alternated between groan-inducing gags and jokes, and sly observations. He loved his family and was always thoughtful of them. He never hesitated to say that he loved them. He was devoted to God. He was a dedicated member of the Adult Faith Sharing Group with Green Bay Religious Special Education for more than 20 years, and he participated fully in all aspects of Church life, including as a lector. And Paul wanted to contribute to the broader community. His acts of generosity were sometimes startling. But he also wanted to contribute through work, which he did by holding a number of jobs throughout his life, the last of which had responsibilities and wages such that no man should be ashamed of it. My brother wasn't an angel. He probably didn't think of himself as a role model. But I can't think of one thing he told me he would do that he did not, and he died a man in full. Brother, I love you and I salute you.