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http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/page1/3188695
He died the way he lived — helping others
Icehouse owner Horace Allen "Bully" Paul, known for his generous heart and vibrant spirit, again came to someone's aid Tuesday night. The act cost him his life
By PAIGE HEWITT
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle
Family Photo
Horace Allen “Bully†Paul, owner of Paul’s Ice House on Telephone Road, was killed in a shootout with a man who, police say, had broken into the home of one of Paul’s employees. Paul is shown with his grandson, Kyle Michael Paul.
Friends of Horace Allen Paul trickled in to his southeast side icehouse Wednesday, mourning the sudden and violent loss of their beloved "Bully," and sharing memories of the spirited former Marine, a gun-toting giver who was "always there."
Paul's yearning to help others cost him his life Tuesday night, when he grabbed his pistol and barreled into the home of a female employee after she ran from the house screaming about an armed intruder inside.
Several shots were fired and both men died at the scene, investigators said. Houston homicide Sgt. Darcus Shorten said it looked like the two men fired at each other simultaneously.
The other man was identified by authorities as John Lewis, 48, of Pearland. Police and friends said the woman knew Lewis but the relationship between the two was unclear Wednesday.
The female employee, whose identity was not released, declined to talk about the incident Wednesday.
Friends, who described the 57-year-old Paul as larger than life — one who had previously shot a robber and then kept one of the man's teeth on display at the icehouse — said he would have wanted to die a hero.
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"He went down fighting," said Dennis Young, who owns a muffler shop across the street from Paul's Ice House in the 10000 block of Telephone Road.
"I think he would have wanted it that way," Young said. "He wouldn't have wanted an accidental death or to have died standing on a street corner. He died helping someone."
Friends said Paul drove his employee to her home in the 400 block of Dillon about 7:45 p.m. because she feared for her safety after being harassed by a man she knew.
When the two arrived at the house, the woman went inside and was startled by Lewis, who had broken in and was holding her husband's pistol, Shorten said.
The woman ran out for help, and Paul, who was licensed to carry a firearm, ran into the home, Shorten said.
Helping anyone in need defined his life, said friends, who described Paul as the kind of man "who made you feel safe."
Paul's brother is Houston Fire Department arson division chief Roy Paul. His sister, Pat Banks, was the former chief investigator for the Harris County Medical Examiner's office. Neither could be reached for comment Wednesday.
Tim Miller, a close friend and founder of Texas Equusearch, said Paul had been a valuable and generous supporter of the nonprofit the last three years.
"Bully was our hero," Miller said. "He was always there for us. I don't know how we can replace him. Part of Equusearch is gone."
Paul often used his motor home as a watch command for Equusearch's local and out-of-state missing-person searches, group members said.
"When someone was missing, Bully dropped everything and said, 'Where do you need me?' " said the group's search director, Fred Niday.
Paul often lent his four-wheelers to the cause and provided food and drinks for volunteers searching for missing children and adults.
"We tried to pay him, but he wouldn't take any money," Miller said.
Paul also was known as a big buyer at Equusearch fund-raising auctions.
In 2003, Paul paid $800 for a CD of Laura's Song, produced in memory of Miller's 16-year-old daughter, who was murdered in 1986.
Over the years, Paul also pulled together last-minute fund-raisers for the families of police officers killed in the line of duty.
And whether it was a customer down on his luck, or an employee short on cash to pay for a car repair, Paul was always ready to pull out his wallet — and never expected to be repaid.
"He was a giver," Miller said.
Wednesday at the icehouse in the 10000 block of Telephone Road — a family-owned fixture in southeast Houston since the early 1950s — "Bully Paul" stories were swapped amid tears and laughter.
There were the deep-sea fishing trips featuring lots of cold beer.
There was the time in Las Vegas when Paul went to shove about $10,000 in blackjack winnings into his back pocket only to find the cash had landed on the ground instead, Young said. A few days later, he did the same thing.
"We laughed hard," Young said.
And, of course, everyone knew that "Bully," — who got his nickname because he was "mean as hell" as a kid, his cousin, Steve Martin, said — had shot more than one man during his life.
A few years ago, Equusearch member Barbara Gibson said, a man walked into the icehouse and tried to hold it up.
When the man's gun jammed, Paul pulled out his own pistol and shot the robber. After officials cleaned up the scene, Paul found one of the man's teeth on the floor.
He kept it in his trophy case at the icehouse.
"That man should have known better than to come in here," Gibson said, laughing through tears.
Paul, who was "completely devastated" when one of his sons died about two months ago, leaves behind a son and a young grandson.
The funeral will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at Forest Park East Cemetery and Chapel in League City. Visitation is 5 to 7 p.m. Friday.
He died the way he lived — helping others
Icehouse owner Horace Allen "Bully" Paul, known for his generous heart and vibrant spirit, again came to someone's aid Tuesday night. The act cost him his life
By PAIGE HEWITT
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle
Family Photo
Horace Allen “Bully†Paul, owner of Paul’s Ice House on Telephone Road, was killed in a shootout with a man who, police say, had broken into the home of one of Paul’s employees. Paul is shown with his grandson, Kyle Michael Paul.
Friends of Horace Allen Paul trickled in to his southeast side icehouse Wednesday, mourning the sudden and violent loss of their beloved "Bully," and sharing memories of the spirited former Marine, a gun-toting giver who was "always there."
Paul's yearning to help others cost him his life Tuesday night, when he grabbed his pistol and barreled into the home of a female employee after she ran from the house screaming about an armed intruder inside.
Several shots were fired and both men died at the scene, investigators said. Houston homicide Sgt. Darcus Shorten said it looked like the two men fired at each other simultaneously.
The other man was identified by authorities as John Lewis, 48, of Pearland. Police and friends said the woman knew Lewis but the relationship between the two was unclear Wednesday.
The female employee, whose identity was not released, declined to talk about the incident Wednesday.
Friends, who described the 57-year-old Paul as larger than life — one who had previously shot a robber and then kept one of the man's teeth on display at the icehouse — said he would have wanted to die a hero.
map
"He went down fighting," said Dennis Young, who owns a muffler shop across the street from Paul's Ice House in the 10000 block of Telephone Road.
"I think he would have wanted it that way," Young said. "He wouldn't have wanted an accidental death or to have died standing on a street corner. He died helping someone."
Friends said Paul drove his employee to her home in the 400 block of Dillon about 7:45 p.m. because she feared for her safety after being harassed by a man she knew.
When the two arrived at the house, the woman went inside and was startled by Lewis, who had broken in and was holding her husband's pistol, Shorten said.
The woman ran out for help, and Paul, who was licensed to carry a firearm, ran into the home, Shorten said.
Helping anyone in need defined his life, said friends, who described Paul as the kind of man "who made you feel safe."
Paul's brother is Houston Fire Department arson division chief Roy Paul. His sister, Pat Banks, was the former chief investigator for the Harris County Medical Examiner's office. Neither could be reached for comment Wednesday.
Tim Miller, a close friend and founder of Texas Equusearch, said Paul had been a valuable and generous supporter of the nonprofit the last three years.
"Bully was our hero," Miller said. "He was always there for us. I don't know how we can replace him. Part of Equusearch is gone."
Paul often used his motor home as a watch command for Equusearch's local and out-of-state missing-person searches, group members said.
"When someone was missing, Bully dropped everything and said, 'Where do you need me?' " said the group's search director, Fred Niday.
Paul often lent his four-wheelers to the cause and provided food and drinks for volunteers searching for missing children and adults.
"We tried to pay him, but he wouldn't take any money," Miller said.
Paul also was known as a big buyer at Equusearch fund-raising auctions.
In 2003, Paul paid $800 for a CD of Laura's Song, produced in memory of Miller's 16-year-old daughter, who was murdered in 1986.
Over the years, Paul also pulled together last-minute fund-raisers for the families of police officers killed in the line of duty.
And whether it was a customer down on his luck, or an employee short on cash to pay for a car repair, Paul was always ready to pull out his wallet — and never expected to be repaid.
"He was a giver," Miller said.
Wednesday at the icehouse in the 10000 block of Telephone Road — a family-owned fixture in southeast Houston since the early 1950s — "Bully Paul" stories were swapped amid tears and laughter.
There were the deep-sea fishing trips featuring lots of cold beer.
There was the time in Las Vegas when Paul went to shove about $10,000 in blackjack winnings into his back pocket only to find the cash had landed on the ground instead, Young said. A few days later, he did the same thing.
"We laughed hard," Young said.
And, of course, everyone knew that "Bully," — who got his nickname because he was "mean as hell" as a kid, his cousin, Steve Martin, said — had shot more than one man during his life.
A few years ago, Equusearch member Barbara Gibson said, a man walked into the icehouse and tried to hold it up.
When the man's gun jammed, Paul pulled out his own pistol and shot the robber. After officials cleaned up the scene, Paul found one of the man's teeth on the floor.
He kept it in his trophy case at the icehouse.
"That man should have known better than to come in here," Gibson said, laughing through tears.
Paul, who was "completely devastated" when one of his sons died about two months ago, leaves behind a son and a young grandson.
The funeral will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at Forest Park East Cemetery and Chapel in League City. Visitation is 5 to 7 p.m. Friday.
