Carla Clark | For The Republic Paul Curtis, chairman of the board of directors of Moose International, speaks during a breakfast held at Moose Lodge 398, Columbus, Indiana, Saturday, April 9, 2022.
Local members of The Moose were shocked to hear that one of their international leaders died of a heart attack just days after his visit to the Columbus lodge.
Paul W. Curtis, chairman of the board of directors for Moose International, spoke at the local Moose Lodge on Saturday as part of a tour throughout the country. It had been his first visit to both Columbus and its chapter.
“Paul and Bonnie had just arrived for visits to Lodges in the Northeast late last night and were on their way from the airport to the hotel when Paul experienced a major heart attack,” the Indiana Moose Association shared in a social media post Thursday morning. “Despite the heroic efforts of James and Judy Davis, the first responders and hospital staff, Paul passed away.”
Brian Holbrook, an administrator at the local lodge, had been shocked to hear it. He said that the chairman, who was 74, had been a good speaker and seemed to be in good health during his visit.
“It was a blessing to have him and his wife visit our lodge,” said Holbrook.
He has not yet heard who will take Curtis’s place as chairman but expects a decision to made sometime in the next few days.
Curtis joined his home lodge in Camas, Washington in 1985. He served his lodge, the Washington State-Northern Idaho Moose Association, and Moose International in a variety of leadership positions, receiving various awards for his service. Curtis was elected chairman of the board in July of 2021 during the 133rd International Moose Convention.
He had been retired following 37 years as a plant/production manager of an industrial firm and 11 years in retail management for a Kroger subsidiary in the home improvement division. Curtis is survived by his wife, Bonnie, along with their four children and seven grandchildren.
“I can’t think of anyone who loved the Moose as much as Paul,” said Moose International CEO Scott Hart in a statement shared with the organization. “I was shocked and saddened when I heard the news of Paul’s passing. He was such a positive and compelling person who gave all his time and efforts to make this fraternity stronger. I am comforted to know that he was doing what he enjoyed most, touching the lives of members across the nation who looked to his leadership for inspiration and direction, when he passed. He will definitely be missed.”
Curtis had told members he had enjoyed his lodge visits as much as his fellow Moose.
“As Bonnie and I continue our travels, the spirit of the Moose continues to make me humbled and proud to be a member of this great fraternity,” he shared in a note on the organization’s website. “We have witnessed the kindness and friendship that abounds in each and every lodge we have visited. We continue to be welcomed with open arms and made to feel like one of their own on each and every stop we make. I am truly blessed to be a part of this great fraternity that does so much in achieving with success everything that we stand for.”
