In Memory of Paul Franz Eilers
Paul and Cathy Eilers · Rocky Mount, NC
Paul Franz Eilers grew up in an environment where pain and rejection were normal.
Most of us cannot possibly identify with the life that he lived as a child.
Many that knew him say a book should be written about it. But in the end, God used sadness to create a wonderful gladness.
Paul was born in Alabama on April 22, 1938 to a German father and an American mother.
It was during the Great Depression.
Jobs were scarce, and it was difficult supporting a wife and young children.
Alfred Eilers, an engineer, decided to move his family back to his native Germany, where his job prospects were much better.
Unfortunately, it was also the beginning of World War II.
Almost as soon as they were settled, he was drafted into the German military.
Not long afterward, he was killed in action during the Battle of Moscow.
At the time of his father's death, Paul was just two years old.
Because they were Americans, Paul, his mother, and his two brothers lived with the constant fear of being discovered.
So they were hidden in the countryside by Grandmother Eilers.
While there, they had to live off the land.
One time they were forced to steal food from a British camp.
After a few months, it was determined to be safe enough to return to Grandmother Eilers' home in Hamburg.
However, the SS army of Adolf Hitler soon found them.
They were abruptly arrested, boarded onto a train boxcar, and sent to a Nazi concentration camp.
Though only six years old at the time, Paul later recalled coal cinders burning holes through his clothes during the train ride.
They were imprisoned for three years before finally being freed by the British army.
Eilers Family Passport Photo
At the age of nine, and unable to speak a word of English, Paul found himself onboard a passenger ship with the rest of his family.
They were bound for Ellis Island, New York, the immigrant station of America.
That trip was the best experience of Paul's young life.
For the first time, he had food every day, a room to sleep in, and freedom to roam the ship.
Unfortunately, the nightmare had only just begun.
Life in America was worse than what he had experienced in Germany.
Since he only knew German, one of the many difficulties he faced was the language barrier.
Even after learning English, he spoke with a German accent for quite awhile.
Due to the current world war with Germany, Paul was used as a scapegoat by kids and adults alike for their hatred of all things German.
He often fell victim to verbal as well as physical abuse.
During this difficult time, his mother, Georgia, was unable to find employment.
Due to her financial situation, she was forced to place several of her children in a Virginia orphanage.
Paul and his older brother, Don, were not given an explanation as to why they were being taken there.
They were not even told goodbye.
At the time, he was only nine years old.
Paul 9 Years Old
Life at the orphanage was hard.
The children had to wake up every morning at 4:00 a.m. to work in the fields and on the grounds for most of the day.
Paul’s responsibilities included milking cows and starting the coal-burning furnace.
He lived at the orphanage for five years.
During that time, he tried to escape at least three times.
Each time, he was caught, taken back to the orphanage, and beaten.
At the age of fourteen, Paul and his brother, Don, were able to move to Rocky Mount, North Carolina.
There they lived with their mother and two younger siblings.
During this time, Georgia Eilers worked at a dress shop.
The family lived on Edgecombe Street in a house that better resembled a shack.
During the day, sunlight peeked through the cracks in the walls.
In the winter, the toilet water would often freeze.
But Paul was much happier living there than at the orphanage.
At last, he had a place to call home.
1958 Rocky Mount Blackbirds
He attended R.M. Wilson Junior High School and Rocky Mount Senior High.
While in school, he worked in the cafeteria mopping floors and wiping tables in order to eat lunch.
Back then, there were no government free lunch programs.
Many times, school lunch was the only meal he had for the day.
More often than not, he would overeat and then vomit behind the school dumpster.
Paul soon found his outlet through football.
Looking back, the family believes it saved him.
Years later, a relative discovered that more than seventy-five percent of the boys from his orphanage ended up in prison.
Through football, he was able to release a lot of pent-up frustration and anger.
It landed him in the record books.
As a senior in 1957, he was named to the North Carolina All-State team.
He was also honored with a place on The Sporting News All-America team.
This is awarded to the best high school football players in the nation.
1957–1958 Rocky Mount Blackbirds
Highly recruited, he eventually ended up becoming a Tar Heel. He played for coach Jim Tatum at the University of North Carolina.
After college, Paul enlisted in the Army. He served as a medic at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.
Paul at Fort Campbell · 1960
After four years of service, Paul moved back to Rocky Mount.
A friend introduced him to a local girl, Catherine Smith.
They soon fell in love and on April 17, 1966, were married at First Baptist Church.
Paul and Cathy on their wedding day
Paul and Cathy wedding rehearsal
A management career with a department store chain followed, while his wife worked as a dental hygienist.
After nine years of retail management, Paul had enough of being overworked and underpaid.
The couple also tired of moving their two young sons, Paul Jr. and David, from city to city.
Many of those moves were required so Paul could open a new store or turn around an existing one.
So he quit his retail job and moved the family back to Rocky Mount.
Paul and Cathy then decided to start their own cleaning and remodeling business.
It became their livelihood for more than twenty-five years.
Paul Jr. and David · Columbia, SC · 1972
As Paul got older, he began to have dizzy spells and trouble catching his breath.
After much prodding from his wife, he eventually went to the Veterans Medical Center in Durham.
Test results revealed a severe case of emphysema.
He was placed on oxygen and unable to continue working.
Over the next eight years, his health gradually declined.
He became diabetic, suffered a heart attack, and was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
Around this time, God really began to pursue Paul and draw him near to Him.
Throughout his life, Paul had struggled with the issue of faith.
He had a hard time understanding how God would allow him to endure so many trials and tribulations.
But during these difficult years, God had never left nor forsaken him.
Not when his father died.
Not inside the concentration camp.
Not at the orphanage.
And not when he was hungry, helpless, and hopeless.
God was there with Paul the entire time.
After eight years of battling sickness, Paul no longer had the energy to hold on to his bitterness.
As God worked on his heart, He placed people in his path during his search for truth.
His grandchildren would often crawl into his lap, showing him the unconditional love of God.
Through this process, God gave Paul the faith to believe. His resentment and anger were swallowed up by the love of God.
Paul believed in his heart that Jesus died for his sins and saved him for the life to come. A spiritual orphan, he was no more.
Paul Franz Eilers died on Tuesday, January 23, 2007. He is finally home now, so it is a day of celebration.
For those who knew him, it is a day of deep emotion because of their loss.
The tears in their eyes and the pain in their heart are testaments to how much he meant to them.
So cherish the tears and embrace the pain, because you would not have them, if you had not known Paul and been blessed by his life.
Amen.
Rocky Mount Telegram · January 2007
More Memories of Paul
Paul receiving the MVP award
Defensive Giant · Rocky Mount Telegram · 1957
Paul Eilers · Rocky Mount Blackbirds · 1957
Paul Eilers · Rocky Mount Telegram · 1957
Paul Eilers · Rocky Mount Blackbirds · 1957
Monogram Club · Rocky Mount Senior High · 1958
Senior Statistics · Rocky Mount Senior High · 1958
Monogram Club
Secretary of the Monogram Club
Most Valuable Player Trophy
Honorable Mention All-State (10th Grade)
All-State (11th Grade)
All-State (12th Grade)
All-Eastern
All-Star Game
The Sporting News All-American