Mark Moore, MD
Tallahassee Anesthesiology, PA
Paul Morell was born in the Greenpoint Section of Brooklyn, New York in the roaring 20's. His father had worked at the Domino Sugar Factory on the waterfront, then became an independent candy salesman in Flatbush going corner store to corner store. Eventually his father obtained the first gumball machine concession at Coney Island and earned his living one penny at a time. He built their family house by hand in 1932 at the height of the Great Depression. You should have seen it in color. Paul grew up in the 1930's. Besides school, his childhood was filled with hard work helping the family. He was always chopping firewood for the stove and the furnace heater. At age 17, he was drafted into World War II, still only a senior in high school. He had never traveled more than five miles from his home his entire life. But after his induction into the military, they sent him all over the country and then, into active combat to the other side of the world. Because he had attended Manhattan Aviation High School, he trained and was promoted to Sergeant and crew chief in the new Army Air Corp, which today is our U.S. Air Force. He spent two years in Saipan in the South Pacific, in charge of the crews repairing the B-17 and B-29 Bombers preparing for raids on mainland Japan. He was there when the first Atomic Bomb launched from the island of Tinian only one-half mile away. That week the military censorship was lifted and he wrote a seven-page letter home to his mom and dad. Optimism and a good attitude helped him survive. After the war, he returned home to Brooklyn a grown man, and met his wife, Anita. They married and attended college on scholarships and then earned Master’s Degrees—Anita’s in Education and his in Business. In the mid-1960's, Mom and Dad moved to the quiet rural coast of New Jersey where Dad set up his own hardware store. Mom taught grammar school. They always flew an American flag in front of our home. Dad was an independent type and over the years started and ran several of his own businesses including a health club and a racquetball club. Dad was a family man. Mom first, then the three children. We lived a simple life, though at times, we struggled. Still, we were doted on and always seemed to have what we needed. They gave us voices. So they raised their family and stayed together for 65 years. Mom was the love of his life. In later years, there were daughters-in-law, and seven grandchildren whom they loved deeply and brought them much happiness. When they retired, Dad and Mom made time to do things they enjoyed. They read and traveled to the Gulf Coast of Florida often. They had a great sense of humor and were usually smiling. Throughout their life, they had many close friends who they considered like family. After mom passed, Dad moved to Tallahassee, where I built his home right next door to my home. It was only after I designed and built it that I found out that it very much resembled his boyhood home. In the twilight years, he remained in good spirits and was happy to be here with us. At age 92, he met a U.S. President, a sitting Governor and traveled with Honor Flight to Washington DC to see the World War II Memorial. When asked about his life, he would often say emphatically, and with sincerity, “I’ve had the best life anyone could ask for.”
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