QUEENSBURY, N.Y. and WINCHESTER, Va. — Dr. Paul David “Skeeter” Etu passed away Sunday, Sept. 15, 2013, in Winchester, Va., as a result of brain cancer.
Paul was born Sept. 26, 1954, in Glens Falls, the youngest child of James Lawrence Etu and Cecelia Joan (Jordan) Etu of Fort Edward. He grew up in Fort Edward and was the valedictorian of Fort Edward High School in 1972, where he was active in sports, leadership and Boy Scouts. He also was the school’s representative for Boys’ State, following his junior year.
Paul graduated from Adirondack Community College and received his B.A. in psychology from SUNY Oswego. He completed his first master’s degree in clinical psychology at Marquette University, where he served as the graduate director of psychological services. He earned a master’s degree in school psychology, a seventh-year certificate of advanced study, and his doctor of psychology (PsyD) at University at Albany.
Paul was married to Marcia Mears in 1977, and they were blessed with three sons, Eric, Joshua and Nathan.
Paul began his career as a mental-health practitioner working with individuals with developmental disabilities at the Prospect Center in Queensbury in 1973, and later as a school psychologist at Glens Falls and Queensbury schools. Subsequently, Paul spent almost two decades in private practice as a licensed psychologist providing counseling, diagnostic, consultative and mental-health services in the greater Glens Falls area. At the time of his illness, he was serving as a forensic psychologist with the New York State Office of Mental Health in conjunction with the New York State Office of the Attorney General.
When local cable television first premiered, Paul was chosen as an on-air broadcaster for local town and village board meetings as well as for local high school basketball and football games. He volunteered with NYS Section II Wrestling for more than two decades and spent 15 years as the public address announcer and voice of the Section II Wrestling Championships, primarily at Glens Falls Civic Center. He also volunteered as a member of the “chain gang” for the Queensbury High School football program for more than 20 years.
In his work as a sports psychologist, Paul worked with a number of Olympic, professional, and amateur athletes, including four individuals who have been enshrined in their respective Hall of Fame. Paul was given special recognition for his work with elite athletes transitioning to retirement and with those experiencing career-ending injuries.
One of Paul’s most gratifying accomplishments, with his former mentors, the late Jack Toomey Sr. and the late Bob Iusi Sr., among others, was to help found the interscholastic girls’ sports programs in the Fort Edward Union Free School District. He was cited by Little League, Inc. for his work in recruiting female athletes when girls were first allowed to compete with that organization.
Paul was board certified in Clinical Psychology, Neuropsychology, Sexual Addictions and Compulsivity, Sports Psychology, Forensic Psychology, and Disability Examinations at both the state and national levels. He developed and taught numerous college courses in psychology, serving on the faculty of the Empire State College — Center for Distance Learning for the past 17 years.
He was a longtime member of the American Psychological Association, Society for the Advancement of Sexual Health, National Institute of Sports (Fellow), American Council on Forensic Evaluations International (Diplomate) and American Board of Psychology Specialists (Fellow). At the 2012 ABPS Executive Summit in Las Vegas, Paul was elected secretary, a position he held until the onset of his disability. Paul also served as an International Commissioner for Forensic Education.
Paul spent many years coaching or assisting with youth baseball, soccer, tennis, wrestling, football, hockey and basketball. He served on Queensbury Recreation Commission and Queensbury Young Life Committee; he additionally volunteered with the Queensbury Mat Fans and the Boy Scouts of America. With his spouse, Marcia, Paul helped organize five mission trips to the Gulf Coast to help rebuild homes and lives following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. They also sponsor two children though World Vision Inc., Mamush Samuel and Kefyalech Bekele, of Ethiopia.
As an avid outdoorsman, Paul hiked in the Shenandoah and Blue Ridge mountains and reached the summit of 44 of 46 Adirondack High Peaks before his disability. He was also a long-term member of the Fort Edward Historical Association and Capitol District Weight Loss Support Group.
Paul had been a parishioner of St. Joseph’s Church in Fort Edward, St. Mary’s Church in Glens Falls, The Church of Our Lady of the Annunciation in Queensbury, and most recently, St. Leo Catholic Church in Inwood, W.Va.
Paul was predeceased by his parents, and his sister, Mary Eileen Parker, who died in 2012.
Paul is survived by his wife, Marcia; and their three sons, Eric and his wife, Liza, of Walnut Creek, Calif., Joshua and his wife, Sarah, and their children, Julia, William, and Brendan of Fredericksburg, Va., and Nathan of Ypsilanti, Mich.
He is also survived by two brothers, James Etu of South Glens Falls, and Robert “Geezil” Etu and his wife, Patricia, of Queensbury; along with many nieces, nephews and cousins. In addition, he is survived by his father and mother-in-law, William and Carol Mears of Queensbury, and Marcia’s three sisters and their families.
Family and friends are invited to call from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 20, at Singleton Sullivan Potter Funeral Home, 407 Bay Road, Queensbury, NY. There will be an additional calling hour from noon to
1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21, immediately followed by a memorial service at the funeral home, with the Rev. Martin Fisher officiating.
A reception for family and friends will follow the memorial service at the Bay Road Church, 1167 Bay Road, Lake George, N.Y.
To post online condolences for the family, please visit sbfuneralhome.com. Memorial contributions in memory of Paul may be directed to the Adirondack Mountain Club or the Fort Edward Historical Association.