Paul Libby

Paul Everard Libby was born on January 1, 1922 to Dr. Walter and Lucile Libby in Los Angeles, California. When he was six months old, the family moved to China where they lived until Paul was 15 years old. At that time, Paul went to boarding school in Mt. Herman, New Jersey and later moved to Canby, Oregon. Paul went to Willamette University until he got drafted. As a conscientious objector of WWII, he spent time in service in a civilian service camp. He later continued his education, graduating from Oregon State University with a Bachelor’s of Science in Soil Conservation. Paul married Mary in 1945, and the two were married for 67 years. Together they had three children; Walter, Molly and Paul. He went on to work for the Oregon Department of Transportation as a Soils Inspector, where he retired when he was 55. At this time he was able to devote more time and energy to working on peace and justice issues that held a huge place in his heart. He was involved with the Fellowship of Reconciliation and the Trojan Decommissioning Alliance. He was part of the “White Train Campaign,” “9th Street Exit,” and the “Main Street Gathering” among many other acts of civil disobedience. He always stood up for what he believed in and was never one to back down. For some time, Paul was very involved in his church; Centenary-Wilbur Methodist Church as well as the Metanoia Peace House. He had a lifelong love of cooking Chinese food and gardening. He could often be found banging on his drum outside, enjoying the beautiful land with which he chose to surround himself. He was involved with three different land trusts. Above all else, Paul was profoundly concerned for the world and wanted nothing more than to see that everyone was treated justly. He had an open-door policy, often giving people shelter when they would have otherwise had nowhere to go. He could be mischievous at times but most of all, he had a huge heart and cared for all people. He is survived by his sons Walter and Paul, their wives Donna and Tammy, daughter Molly and granddaughters Sarah, Emily and Amanda. Mary, his wife of 67 years, and grandson Emery both died in 2013.