Hi Paul, My brother told me about the times that you and him floated down the river...which my mom didn't know about, along with the many times that you both rode your bikes across the bridge to Lake Park and shouldn't have even been anywhere close to that side of town. You might have been maybe 11 or 12 years old, which would have made my brother 9 or 10 years old. That has given us a few laughs. I hope you know how much you are missed and how much respect that we all have for you. Love, Jessica
Saying hello/ Geno Swigert (friends)
What's up buddy! It's Geno I just wanted to say hello! It's been awhile. Last time we got together I got you into a little trouble with the wife. We said 10 or 11 and it ended up being more like Two, but isn't that like us though. Every time we got together somebody was getting into trouble. Like the time we went to Wade's house at three in the mourning, or the time we broke Cindy and Spanks screen on KC's window. I have to run, I have a crying baby in the other room. I'll be back though. I miss you man!! I know you don't like to hear this but I love you and you are always in my thoughts and prayers.
Geno Close
my brother/ Adam Kohler (best friend)
Hey paul, what's up buddy. i have tried writing you three times and i delete each message cause i want to find the right thing to say. first, i want to tell ya that i miss you so much. it really hurts not having you around. i know you are probably getting tired of me crying and sobbing, but i can't help it. you are my brother and best friend and i just miss the conversations. i hope you understand how much you are missed! i really hope you do. i'll keep talking to you though, i know you are always around and we all need you more than anything. michael and i are always keeping you in our thoughts. i know you will never be far away, but i wish so much things were different. Paul you are my best friend and you are always in my mind, heart, and soul.
Love You Always and Forever/ Kacey Mardis (wife)Read >>
Love You Always and Forever/ Kacey Mardis (wife)
Paul
Today is Memorial day and I am having a hard time dealing with the fact that you are not here. Sherri and Cindy decided to make these t-shirts(you would be having a fit if you were here) that had your picture on them and we decided that we were going to wear them to the parade but as I was getting ready I kept looking at the shirt and realizing that you are never coming home. I have tried for so long to be strong and not let the pain that I was feeling show but you and I both know that you were the strong one not me. I keep thinking about the day you left and you told me that it was only six months and then you would be home again but things did not go as planned. I miss you everyday and I wonder how I am going to go on without you by my side. You know when you left for your first deployment I told mom that the hardest thing that I would ever have to do was to watch you go off to war but I was sadly mistaken. The hardest thing that I have to do is live my life without you. All of us miss you so much and think about you all the time. I look at your family and I wonder how we will all get through it and I just have to keep telling myself that you are in a better place and have no more pain. You have no idea what an impact you had on people including me. I not only lost my husband but I lost my best friend. Baby I hope that you know that you will be with me always and forever. I will always love you........ Close
All My Love To You!! We Our Proud of You, Our Hero!!/ Cindy Corder (Sister)Read >>
All My Love To You!! We Our Proud of You, Our Hero!!/ Cindy Corder (Sister)
I went to Coshocton this weekend to be with my family,We went to a baby shower for Our cousin Amanda,It felt nice to actually be celebrating the birth of a family member instead of a loss. It was kinda fun actually cause It was the three amigos( Sherri, Kace and I). We are so close it is not even funny. I love my sisters more and more every day, and still when I leave to come back to my home,(only 30 to 40 minutes away), I feel so empty cause I cant be with them every day. We talk almost every day since You have been gone , sometimes every other day, but we try not to let that happen to much! And yet I all always make sure they know how much I Love them, Well I tell them, I just hope they know how much I mean it. This Memorial Day is the most special one to me, I am calling it a Memory Day! I stopped at your Grave on the way home, I layed a single Red Rose on You And Our Fathers Graves ,Then I cried for about 20 of the 40 minute drive home. When I got home I tried to get out of my somber mood by thinking of all the times you made me laugh!! I actually can not even try to name all of them , but these are some of my favorites. The all time favorite is You swinging on moms close line singing Mary Poppins doing hand motions and all. I thought Michelle and I were going to loose it when you opened the back door and came out with an umbrella! This next one wasn't so funny to you but you were being a butt head, and I told you to leave me alone , I got in the car to back out of the drive way and to this day I dont know how it happend but I ran into and you fell or hit your chin and I broke your tooth!! You were so mad and rambling on about how you would kill me, all I could do was laugh at you!! That just pissed you off more. I was really sorry it happend , you just never forgave me for it. So many great memories, I try to not get so emotional, but no matter how hard I try I still will always be the big cry baby of all of us. But there is one more I thought would be funny to every one that knows and loves you the most!! Your Family,And Your Sf Family, The night Kace calls and says what are you guys doing, I said nothing ,what are you doing? She says You will not even beleive what Your Brother is doing now! And I always say Oh God Now What! She said well we went and got a shed today and we have been working on it , She said But you know how hard headed your brother is ,( Its like 10:00 P.M. at this time) . I said whats he doing ? She said the neighbors are going to either not like us very well or call the cops. I kept saying whats he doing? She said hes out there with the truck in the back yard with the head lights on, and his SF little well we call it a miners light, (the kind the miners would strap on there foreheads in the mines). she said hes so stuborn he wont quit and start again tommorrow he's not quiting till he gets it done .I was laughing so hard I couldnt even tell my husband what I was laughing at ,I just handed him the phone so Kace could tell him the story! You were so determined not to quit at anything you did! You were always there to make sure we never quit either no matter what disaster we seemed to be going through at the time. You were my hero,and my guide through this thing called life. Now without you ,I didnt know how I was going to do it!! But Sherri and Kace are here now , Mom and Dad Carroll and my husband , but most of all my two beautiful daughters! And I will never for get One of your many words of wisdom moments you gave me, It was hey you got to pull yourself together, Your A Mom now ,and no one needs you more than those little girls. And I then think of that last conversation we had alone at Walter Reed almost daily. I never yet Have told any one what we talked about,But I know how much you were suffering,and how yet again you were there being my strengh, and my guide even with your black marker and you dry erase board. Happy Memorial day little Brother, I Love you So Much!!!! I miss you terrible, Love always Cindy!! Close
Memorial Day Thoughts/ Sherri Lawrence (big sister)
Memorial Day Weekend has always been a special tradition for this family. Our father and two of his brothers, as well as, grandfathers and great-uncles on both sides of this family have been military and veterans of foreign wars. I was born an "Army Brat!"
We attend every Veteran's Day and Memorial Day Parade. I have and my own children will be playing in bands, yet the true meaning of this day did not hit me until I attended the Gold Star family dinner on May 25, 2005.
General Kensinger, Commander of Special Operations in Fort Bragg, NC, hosted this dinner to honor the 23 families that lost a Special Forces soldier this past year. Whether the conflict was in Iraq or Afghanistan, the feelings were all the same. These men were American Heroes, and they didn't come home. Our hearts ache, our lives feel empty; yet, our heads are held high and we are proud of our soldiers. Many of them had been wounded before and choose, as did Paul, to stay in the fight and do his "job."
Paul said, "It's my job, I have to support my team. Someone has to do this!" Our family asks ourselves, " Why?" every day. Paul had already been shot 3 times and taken minimal time to recover. Why did he have to be the one to get wounded on that road on May 19th, 2004? Paul's answer again, was "That's war!" He answered this last question from his hospital bed at Walter Reed Medical Center during the last 8 weeks of his life. He did not regret, like we had, that he had been wounded, again. He just held his head high and kept fighting. Most of you know the rest of the story. Paul kept fighting until the very end. On a bad day he may have slept most of the day, he may have said (only once) that he wanted to give up the fight. I looked in his eyes the day that he said that and realized the amount of pain and discomfort he was going through. I could tell in those eyes, he would not give up. His body may have been weakened, but he would die in the most fiercest battle of his life.
Paul, thank you for fighting those last 8 weeks. Thank you for giving us some great memories in that dark and dreary hospital. Your braveness and sense of humor and love of life have enabled me to want to keep going on. I will not let you down. I will fight to live this life to the very end, just like you did. Life is a precious gift, and you lived every day as if it were your last. Your family, friends, and Special Ops team miss you so very much, but you will live on in each of us. You will watch over that team in Iraq. I pray you will be their sixth sense and protect them. I pray every one of them make it home unscathed.
When our parents died, I felt that a piece of me died with them. I don't feel like that this time. I have a purpose and an inner strength. I see it in Kacey, too. You left a piece of you with each of those whose lives you touched, and we will continue your fight to live free and happy.
Paul We are rapidly approaching the date you were wounded, and it still just doesn't seem possible that you aren't coming home this time. Your buddies are preparing to go back to Iraq and I'm sure they will miss you! They need you to be their guardian angel! It is a job that I know that you will do well as you are one of the finest soldiers I know! There are so many things I wish I had said to you, so I will say them now. I know that the army was where you belonged. You truly earned the right to wear that SF beret because you were one of the smartest, bravest and most honorable men I will ever know! You left an indelible mark on Patrick. He admired and respected you more than you ever knew. He has decided that when he finishes college, he wants to go into the army and follow in your footsteps. He wants to be the type of soldier. . .man that you were. That is the kind of hero that you were, and you didn't even know it. In your own quiet way, you went about the business of being the best soldier, husband, brother, son and friend that you could be. All the while, not realizing the impact you were having on people's lives. Tomorrow, we will be awarding the first "Sgt. Paul C. Mardis, Jr. Scholarship" to a deserving high school senior at Coshocton High School. We thought this was a fitting way to honor your memory, but each day I realize this is just a small token to pay tribute to the fine young man that you were. We thank you for blessing our life, and we are all better people for having known and loved you! Love ya Mom
Happy Birthday, Big Guy!/ Sherri Lawrence (sister)
Hey, Big Guy!
You know how much I miss you. You know for sure I'm crazy now, as much as I talk to you when no one is around! Your birthday will soon be here, and I have been thinking about you and mom and dad, a lot. I know I am drawing my strength from you. Thanks for hanging around and helping me through the past few months. They have really sucked. I just keep hearing you say, "What the hell?!" Every time something unexplained happens and I think, "Why me, why Tolly and I?" I remember you saying, "You can handle it, you're a MARDIS!" I'm just as proud of that as you are! Thanks for helping me remember that! Kiss mom and dad for me. I love you and miss you all.
A Mother's Love/ Cindy Carroll (Mother-in-law)Read >>
A Mother's Love/ Cindy Carroll (Mother-in-law)
Paul There is so much to say and everyday I wish you would just pick up the phone and call me for more advice, but I know there isn't a direct line from heaven. I remember seeing that young boy sitting on the curb outside the funeral home when your mom passed away and that was the day you stole my heart. Such a young man to have suffered so much loss in your life and I just wanted to hug you and make all your hurt go away. Then in high school you and Kacey were such good friends, but I worried about you because I thought you were heading down a path of self-destruction. I understood why but at the same time wasn't sure of anything I could do to stop it. I know you and Kace always had a strong bond, and thought maybe your friends could help you through it. Then when the news came you were moving to Florida, I applauded your sister Sherri for making that decision because I thought that might be your only salvation. As it turned out, it was. Again, you and Kace maintained that strong bond over the miles. I fondly remember when she and I flew to Florida for your senior night football game and dance. I believe at that time that was when I realized that you and Kace had something special and that some day you would end up together. Then we learned that you had enlisted in the military and were being stationed at Ft. Campbell Ky so you would be closer to Kace. What a rocky couple of years you two went through, but as I told you when you left in January of 2000, if you two are meant to be together, it will happen eventually. And as I expected, time went on and the trips back and forth increased and then in 2001 you asked Kace to marry you. I told my friends that Spank and I could not have picked a finer young man to marry Kace, and I knew that you both had such a deep love and devotion to each other that you would have a wonderful marriage and raise a terrific family. I knew that life in the military would be tough for both of you with the long separations, but I knew that you two had something special, something that doesn't come along every day and I knew that this was a forever love! We loved you like a son, and I mourn for you that your life was cut short. I mourn that you didn't get the opportunity to experience one of the greatest blessings of life. . . having children. You would have been a great dad. . .I mourn that you and Kace didn't get the blessing of growing old together. . .However, I thank God every day for allowing us to share your life for however brief it might have been. I want you to know that we are all better people for having known and loved you. And the best way to keep you alive is to share our memories and our love for you with other people. I read somewhere, the best way to measure a man's life is not by what he accumulates in his life, but by how many lives he has touched. By that measure, your life was a full life, and an accomplished life and you have touched many lives. Many people will be better people for having known and loved you. We miss you and will always remember you! Love Mom Close
You may not have heard me say 'thank you' when you called me in the Florida Keys to tell me you'd be going on an assignment in a 'hot area' in 2003, but you know I appreciated the call. I didn't let on how concerned I really was for your safety after that first call, but I suspect you knew. I'll never forget when I first heard you were wounded that fall, as I was at work on the flight pad when the call came over my handheld radio:
"Griff, radio..." "Go ahead, Control, this is Griff." "Griff, your family called, they said your cousin's been shot." "(Expletive, expletive)!! Are they still on the phone? Where is he? Who called?"
Well, you get the picture. I eventually found out it wasn't life threatening, and talked to you later about it. You told me those poor bastards came out of it worse than your guys did. I even got to see you at your sister's for a little while, and I met Kacey there for the first time. I wish we had had more time to talk and catch up, maybe swap Army and Navy stories for a while. We may have grown up in different places, but we shared a common love for the military and took great pleasure in serving our country, even when it meant being away from all we know and all we loved. It is an irony fully understood by all who serve their country, and our family is no exception, as we have proudly served in all major conflicts since World War I: in Germany, in Normandy, in the Pacific and Atlantic, in Korea, the Red Sea and Iraq. We are Fourth Generation Warfighters, we have answered the call to duty, and our pride runs deep.
Respectfully Yours, Always Remembered,
James Carlton Griffin Fire Controlman First Class, United States Navy 1988-2001
Here without you/ Kacey Mardis (wife)
Paul you know that I love you and not a day passes that I do not think about you or wish I heard your voice. You were my best friend, my husband and my hero. I will always love you and never forget all of the wonderful times that we spent together. I know that you are suffering no more and are in a wonderful place and I look forward to the day when we will be together again. Know that you are with me everyday.I will always love you!!!!! Your Loving Wife Kace Close
"Our Hero"/ Cindy Corder (Sister)
Paul was a Hero to all of us,We will never forget his sacrifice For his family or His country.I want the world to know that we will never forget him,Or what he achieved in his short young life. I love you little brother!! Love Always Cindy. Close
Tributes and Condolences
Add to favorites 
