Paul Durant Myrick

Paul Myrick, age 77, a native of Gainesville, Florida, and a longtime resident of Fairhope, Alabama, passed away Monday, September 14, 2026.

Paul was born June 17, 1949, to Lanier Mose Myrick and Mae Kappel Myrick. His parents moved their family to Fairhope in the 1950s, where his mother worked as a schoolteacher and later for the Baldwin County Public School System, and his father worked in sales in the trucking industry. Paul graduated from Fairhope High School in 1967 and from the University of Alabama in 1971.

Between college and law school, Paul was drafted into the United States Army. He often joked that although he could have deferred his service for a year, he saw no reason to interrupt his education. Drafted in the final group ever called, had he deferred, he would not have been drafted at all. Nevertheless, he remembered his two years in the Army, spent at Fort Dix, New Jersey, and Fort Drum, New York, as some of the best years of his life. During a cold January at Fort Drum in 1972, he bought Paul Simon’s self-titled album, which he continued playing for his children decades later.

After completing his military service, Paul attended the University of Alabama School of Law and graduated in 1976. On December 31 of that year, he married Karen Callahan. The couple settled in Fairhope after Paul completed a one-year clerkship with Judge Winston Arnow of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida.

Paul began practicing law in Mobile in 1977 with Willis C. Darby and Richard Kerrigan. He applied with them after discovering in the Mobile Bar directory that both had graduated from Harvard, and in his own words, he thought it would be “cool” to practice with Harvard lawyers. He later established a firm with friends and colleagues under the name McRight, Jackson, Myrick & Moore and concluded his career with The Kullman Firm, where he concentrated exclusively on labor and employment law. One of his proudest professional honors was his induction into the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers, an organization recognizing distinguished labor and employment attorneys throughout the country.

Paul’s devotion to his clients extended well beyond their legal matters. He took the time to understand their businesses and treated many of them like family, frequently welcoming them into his home for dinner and often with his children gathered around the table.

As much as Paul loved the law, he was also a landscaper through and through. His weekdays belonged to the office, but his weekends belonged to the yard. His yard beside the thirteenth tee of Lakewood’s Azalea course was admired by golfers and visitors alike. On Saturday mornings, Paul put his three sons to work while Leonard Cohen and Paul Simon played loudly from the porch speakers. Leonard Cohen, his sons remembered, often served as their weekend alarm clock.

Paul was deeply proud of his Alabama roots. His family came from Canoe, Alabama, and his father became the first member of the family to attend college when the GI Bill took him to the University of Florida after World War II. Although Paul achieved considerable professional success, he never forgot where he came from. He sought neither attention nor praise and valued hard work far more than money or outward signs of success. He especially appreciated the servers, restaurant owners, tradespeople, and others whose daily work sustained the Fairhope community he loved.

Paul was also a devoted Alabama Crimson Tide fan. His enthusiasm for Alabama football and basketball grew when his son Josh began law school in Tuscaloosa, and trips for games gradually became longer visits. Paul might arrive at his Tuscaloosa house on Thursday — or even Wednesday — to begin preparing for Saturday. One of his favorite Crimson Tide memories was watching Alabama’s goal-line stand against Penn State in the 1979 Sugar Bowl, but what he cherished most was attending games with Karen and their children.

In his later years, even as his Alzheimer’s disease progressed, Paul continued to find joy in sitting on the porch with his family. He regularly invited his children and grandchildren to dinner, often without consulting Karen, but she always found a way. He was a devoted husband, and Karen remained his greatest source of comfort and light throughout his illness. Paul and Karen celebrated their forty-ninth wedding anniversary on December 31, 2025.

Paul was equally devoted to his Springer Spaniels — Dunker, Judge, Coltrane, and, finally, Gracie. Like the dogs he loved, Paul was gentle, loyal, and steadfast in his affection for those around him.

Paul was preceded in death by his parents, Lanier Mose Myrick and Mae Kappel Myrick; his older brother, John Myrick; and his younger sister, Tish Cloninger. He is survived by his wife of forty-nine years, Karen Callahan Myrick; his three sons, Joshua Myrick and his wife, Alice Key, Matthew Myrick and his wife, Danielle Mashburn, and Geoffrey Myrick and his wife, Christa Kierce; and his eight grandchildren, Olivia and Elias Myrick, Ida Mae, Telfair, and Virginia Myrick, and Hatcher, Harrison, and Henley Myrick.

In keeping with Paul’s spirit, the family will not hold a traditional funeral service. All who knew and loved him are invited to gather at Mayhem, 308 North Bayview Street, Fairhope, Alabama, at noon on Saturday, September 19, 2026, for a celebration of his life. The gathering will continue into the Alabama football game at 2:30 p.m., with food, drinks, music, memories, and fellowship.