A beloved Calhoun County resident passed away Tuesday morning after reportedly having a heart attack, then crashing.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, Paul Mattice, 56, owner of Paul’s Wrecker Service, was behind the wheel of a 1999 Dodge Wrecker headed westbound on SR 20 just before 11:30 a.m. Sources say his passenger, Kenneth Hopkins, 21, was accompanying him on a wrecker call. Hopkins told authorities Mattice suffered a medical emergency, pulled onto the west shoulder, then continued in a westerly direction and entered the ditch. The front of the truck hit a telephone junction box.
Mattice was taken to Calhoun-Liberty Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Paul had a bright smile and kind word for everyone he encountered. We will miss seeing him in The County Record office. Our prayers are with his loved ones.
The County Record had already gone to press at the time of Mattice’s passing. We will update his obituary information on our website as soon as it becomes available.