Paul Riding

On April 8, 2021 Paul Joseph Riding, loving husband, father, grandfather passed away at the age of 69 from stage four medullary thyroid cancer. He was surrounded by his wife, Terese, and his six children, at home in Santa Clara, Utah.

Paul was born in Pioche, Nevada, on December 31, 1951, to Kathleen Cottam and Edwin D Riding. He is the youngest of five siblings. He looked up to, and dearly loved his siblings and parents. He was very proud to be from Pioche.

Paul had a regular job beginning in the 8th grade and developed an exemplary work ethic which continued with every job he held throughout his life. Sports were a huge part of his childhood. He started with his first love-- baseball and was on the little league all-star team. He began playing basketball and football in grade school and continued these three main sports through high school. He went on to play one season of football at Dixie College.

Paul served a two-year mission for his church in Colombia and Venezuela. He graduated from Brigham Young University (BYU) in Spanish Education with a minor in History. At BYU, he met Terese, and they were married on August 15, 1975 in the LDS temple in Manti, Utah. They have six children and 16 grandchildren.

He served seven years in the United States Marine Corps (1974-1981) as a flight officer of the F-4 Phantom with the “Black Knights.”  After leaving the Marine Corps, Paul and Terese moved to Portland, Oregon, where Paul soon became a hearing aid salesman. He spent the rest of his career, nearly 40 years, in the hearing aid business, owning his own business for 10 years. He loved helping others, and looked forward to volunteer trips to Mexico, fitting hearing aids on individuals in need. He met many lifelong friends through his work.

Paul was a faithful member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints throughout his lifetime. He accepted every opportunity to serve because of his love for the Savior and his community. He made a special effort to pay attention to everyone. Through the years he worked with adults and youth, teaching and leading them wherever he was needed.

Paul was known for his endless kindness and selflessness, his infectious smile, and the twinkle in his eye. He had the ability to make everyone he encountered feel loved, and he treated everyone as an equal. Above all, his family knew that he loved them unconditionally because he was completely present for them, and he supported them 100% in any endeavor and choice they made.

Paul had a great love of the outdoors and enjoyed hiking, biking, kayaking, camping, and gardening.  He also enjoyed travelling and exploring new areas. Nothing brought him greater joy than spending time doing these activities with his family.

Paul was preceded in death by his parents Edwin Riding and Kathleen Cottam and his parents-in-law Leo Adams and Arva Green. He is survived by his wife Terese Adams and his children Kelly Riding, Andrea (Scott) Taylor, Kristy (Josh) Dorrough, Matt Riding, Stephanie (Weston) Pratt, and Jay (Lindsay) Riding and his 16 grandchildren. He is also survived by his siblings Ronald Riding, John Riding, Alice Heaton, and Ruth Pooler.

The funeral service will be held Saturday, April 17, 2021 at 11:00 a.m. at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Address: 1706 Desert Dawn Drive, Santa Clara, UT 84765. A viewing will be held at 9:30-10:30 a.m. prior to the funeral service.

If you are unable to attend in person, this service will be live-streamed at 11:00 a.m. (MDT) on April 17, 2021. Please click on the link below

Interment will be in the Willamette National Cemetery in Portland, Oregon.