LITTLETON, Colo. (KDVR) — An emotional night out at a park in Littleton as loved ones of Paul Aragon gathered, sharing memories, pictures and other stories. All still looking for answers about the man they loved.
“He was a friend, and he was a friend that teaches you how to be a friend. That was something really special about him, something I value more than anything, is that Paul was my friend,” Aragon’s girlfriend, Mercedes Hess, said.
For months, friends and family of Aragon were left with nothing, no signs, no communication and no answers to the question everyone was asking: where is the man they knew and loved?
“Not knowing I have never been through a worse feeling because the longer it went on, I just felt like, oh, maybe there is some hope out there. If he hasn’t been found yet, maybe he is out there and he is just lost,” Hess said.
Then, after search efforts a call, a City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks’ Vegetation Crew called 911 after finding human remains near the Flatirons Vista Trailhead late last month.
“It was closure, but at the same time, it was pretty horrible because we didn’t want that outcome. But at the same time, we were relieved because now we can lay him to rest properly,” Aragon’s stepsister Ladayshia Alarid said.
A crowd gathered at a park in Littleton, holding candles, wearing shirts with Aragon’s face, to remember the man who meant so much to so many.
“He was an amazing man, an amazing dad. He loved his daughter so much. He loved his family so much. And he was just an overall amazing guy,” Alarid said.
A man who the family describes as one of a kind, a man full of joy and love for others, especially for those closest to him. An impact that was felt at the candlelight vigil.
“People die twice in their life, once when they die and once when the last person that knew them stops talking about them out loud, so just keep talking about it,” Hess said.
Anthony Sutton is a business strategist and writer with a passion for management, leadership, and entrepreneurship. With years of experience in the corporate world, he shares insights on business growth, strategy, and innovation through management-opleiding.org.
