Paul Windham

Paul Calvin Windham, MD, passed into eternal rest on December 13, 2025, at the age of 76, following a courageous two-year battle with cancer.

Born on September 13, 1949, in Poteau, Oklahoma, to Avis Ruth Garner and Calvin Raleigh, Paul moved with his family to California as a young boy. He graduated from Blackford High School in San Jose in 1967. While working his first job at Century Theaters, he met Kathleen Littmann, the love of his life. The couple married on June 29, 1968, at St. Martin's Church in San Jose, beginning a devoted partnership that would span 57 years.

In 1972, Paul and Kathleen relocated to Central Oregon, hoping to build a career with the U.S. Forest Service. When only seasonal positions were available, Paul returned to school, earning an associate's degree at Central Oregon Community College before transferring to the University of Oregon. There he graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 1977 with a Bachelor of Science in Molecular Biology. That fall, he entered Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland, receiving his Doctor of Medicine in 1981. He completed his internship in Spokane, Washington.

During these demanding years of education, Kathleen's steadfast support kept the family afloat. Their children arrived along the way: son Jason Matthew in Bend, Oregon; son Adam Taylor in Portland; and daughter Elizabeth Ann in Spokane during Paul's internship.

Summers found Paul working fire control and recreation for the U.S. Forest Service on the Willamette National Forest. Four of those seasons were spent living remotely at the Taylor Burn wilderness guard station, reachable only by a 10-mile dirt road. These profound experiences in Oregon's wild places deeply influenced his choice of Emergency Medicine as a specialty. Later, his ER expertise provided a natural transition into Occupational Medicine. For a time after Elizabeth's birth, he served as a medical officer with the U.S. Public Health Service at a clinic on the Taholah Indian Reservation in coastal Washington.

A man of wide-ranging passions, Paul was a voracious reader and ardent football fan. He rode a Harley, loved music, and delighted in exploring philosophy, theology, history, astronomy, and biology.

Faith was central to Paul's life. He entered the Catholic Church at Easter 1993 at Our Lady of Mercy in Merced, California. A devoted Fourth Degree Knight of Columbus, he held several leadership roles, including Faithful Navigator and Grand Knight. In Merced, he and Kathleen taught RCIA and CCD classes. Paul also served as an adult altar server, Eucharistic minister, and, more recently, a lector.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on January 10, 2026, at St. Bernard Church in Eureka, California, preceded by a rosary at 9:30 a.m. and the Mass at 10:00 a.m., followed by a reception at the church. Interment will take place at 2:00 p.m. at St. Bernard Cemetery.

Paul is survived by his beloved wife, Kathleen; sons Jason Matthew (Crystal) and Adam Taylor (Sherezada); daughter Elizabeth Ann (Josh)Wolf; grandchildren Nicodemus, Heidi, Rachel, Cole, Vincent, and Julian; great-granddaughter Lily Windham; and sisters Beverly York and Lisa Raleigh.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to St. Bernard Church (designated for maintenance) or to the Betty Kwan Chinn Homeless Foundation.

Paul's life was marked by dedication—to his family, his patients, his faith, and the natural world he cherished. He will be deeply missed and fondly remembered.