Paul August Rentz

Dr. Paul August Rentz, 69, Decatur, Georgia, died on MLK Day, January 18, 2021. He was a beloved husband, passionate student, and precious friend, healthy and enjoying life until a few hours before his death. While on one of his frequent long walks, listening to a philosophical lecture on life and being, his strong and gentle heart ran into trouble. Very soon after, it opened wide and he was lifted into boundless dimensions. Now all his questions are answered, his being is formless, and he knows great peace.

Paul was born in Battle Creek, MI on July 2, 1951 to William August and Helen Reilly Rentz, deceased. He is survived by his adoring and heartbroken wife, Sue Matthews, to whom he brought the unexpected blessing of deep love later in their lives. He is survived by his only sister, Dorothy Rentz, of Bridgman, MI., and a host of Matthews in-laws who welcomed him into the fold. Paul was loving and generous to his wife and sister, and a loyal friend to many. His AA birthday was April 29, 1984, and he celebrated 36 cherished years of sobriety through the support of AA. His first sponsor, Jimmy W., now 90, heard from Paul each year. Jimmy shared regard for Paul’s strength and humility, noting he had faced, through no fault of his own, very public traumatic events early in his sobriety. During that time Paul leaned on his AA community and deepened his surrender.

Paul’s father was a factory worker, having been raised by the state after maternal loss and paternal neglect, then facing WWII trauma. Not surprisingly, Paul’s father, like his own father before him, turned to alcohol for solace. Paul’s mother had “a strong and simple Catholic faith”, never worked outside the home or learned to drive a car. Family life was hard and sister Dorothy entered the convent immediately after high school. At that time Paul began to run away, dropped out of grade 10, and tried to join the military. Raised to venerate soldiers, he was finally accepted by the Army, when his father signed for him the day he turned 17. A Viet Nam era vet, he thankfully escaped combat due to youth. He was instead stationed in Japan, where he began visiting temples and learning about other cultures and religions.

Upon discharge, GED and GI Bill in hand, he entered community college. Paul valued his teachers and was still in regular contact with his first philosophy professor from Kellogg Community College, Keith Schirmer. Keith wrote “I will miss our discussions of philosophy which have continued for the past 48 years!” Thankfully, Keith encouraged Paul towards more employability in the field of psychology. Paul went on to earn his BA from Olivet College, an MA in psychology from Central Michigan U, and an MA and PhD from Fuller Theological Seminary. In his late 50’s, he took time off from work to again indulge his passion for learning, moving from many years in South Dakota to Santa Fe. There he obtained an MA in the Classics from St. John’s College, accomplishing a lifelong dream.

From Santa Fe and student income, Paul was enticed to the Tuskegee V.A. His dear friend and colleague Dr. John Campbell persuaded him to come South and serve an area in need. A licensed psychologist, Paul had a long career including many years with the V.A. He worked with traumatized vets, assisting the homelessness, mentally ill, and the addicted. Paul sought out workshops near and far to build his skills and find ways to offer help. He retired from the V.A. in 2017. He had a passion for Nonviolent Communication, and had hoped in his retirement to support local police by teaching them these interventions.

Paul’s spiritual path was central, deep and wide. From his early roots in Catholicism and Christianity, his deep valuing of the Steps and Traditions of AA, he also studied and took Buddhist vows. He was a longstanding practitioner of Vipassana, and kept a treasured a post card from Pema Chodron. He volunteered as a Buddhist Chaplain in a prison for some years, and assisted a group of monks stranded after a terrible accident in South Dakota. He continued studying mystical Catholicism and was reading Sufi works at the time of his death. His study was filled with books and religious figures. He was a member of the Vedanta Community of Atlanta, which most closely matched his authentic stance of embracing spiritual truths from every path. Paul was a longtime student of the Diamond Approach, where he engaged in weekly inquiry groups and was supported and loved by his spiritual family. He had a deep love of truth and he left behind a loving Diamond teacher, Ron, dear inquiry partners Kathy, Rose, Andy, Millie, and many others, and a beloved psychological guide, Gus, in the community.

At the time of his death Paul had completed six graduate level philosophy courses through Emory University. He had joined the Halcyon Guild, an international group of passionate students of philosophy. He would be so proud that they made him an honorary member on their website. He was taking a course on Henry Corbin and indulging his deep love of truth. He joked of feeling like “a kid in a candy store” “living the dream”. As he entered the ER, he was regretting that he might miss his Corbin class and Diamond retreat later on that day.

Although Paul clearly had an incredible brain, his huge body enjoyed movement. His passions included walking, yoga, swimming and snuggling with his wife. He loved the Emory SAAC and swam at the Y through the pandemic. He loved airplanes and sailing his precious sailboat. He loved history, especially Civil War, and was excited to be part of the Civil War Roundtable of history scholars. He delighted in astronomy. In fact, he was interested and curious about everything!

Paul’s precious body was cremated, which was his expressed wish, on Inauguration Day, January 20, 2021. After a private ceremony, his life was celebrated by watching the beautiful and peaceful inauguration ceremonies. This man, from a hard life in Michigan who could have so easily taken another path, helped turn Georgia Blue! For folks who want to do something to honor Paul, let us not forget his great love of food. This man loved to eat, and he’d won some competitions in his day. And yes, he attended OA and worked on that… His wife is so happy that he was able to eat on the patio at Coyote’s, having his favorite meal, soon before he died. In this time of the pandemic and continued need within our country, a donation to your local food pantry would be a wonderful way to honor and celebrate this big, big giant of a man.

His life and his memory are blessings.