Longtime community figure Paul Avery, 81, and his wife, Sheila, died after a house fire tore through their Blairstown home in the early hours of Tuesday, June 16.
Fire crews arrived before 1am and were able to remove the couple from the burning house, but both were critically injured and later died, according to unilad.com.
The cause of the blaze remains under investigation; authorities have been contacted for further information.
Avery was best known locally as the founder and executive editor of the Ridge View Echo. Before his work in journalism he had a varied life: he served as a helicopter crew chief in the Vietnam War, was an avid pilot and former skydiver, and enjoyed a long run as an actor, including a 12-year role on the soap opera All My Children in the 1980s and small parts in productions such as 1978’s Superman.
Friends and colleagues remember Avery as “the most interesting man in the world,” a description offered by fellow journalist Joe Phalon, and say his loss will be keenly felt across Blairstown and neighboring towns.
Their daughter, Kyle, announced the deaths in an emotional Facebook post: “I’m devastated to share that our parents, Paul and Sheila Garry Avery, passed away early this morning. We loved them so much, and they loved us so much, and nobody ever had to wonder if that was so.”
According to Soap Opera Digest, Avery became Sheila’s full-time caregiver after she suffered a stroke in 2018. The couple is being remembered by family, friends and readers for their devotion to one another and long-standing ties to the community.
