Paul Cornelius Tax

Paul Cornelius Tax passed away unexpectedly on Friday, May 17th 2024.

Paul was born in Baltimore, Maryland, on December 18, 1967 - the youngest of five siblings. The Tax family moved within the year to Chapel Hill, where Paul grew up. He attended St. Thomas More Catholic School, Phillips Junior High, and Chapel Hill High School, graduating in 1986. He completed undergraduate studies at UNC-Chapel Hill, graduating with highest honors and a degree in International Relations, having spent his junior year in Montpellier, France. He met Penelope Voso while at UNC and they were married in July 1991 in Tryon, NC. In 1994, Paul earned his Masters in Public Administration at Appalachian State University, in Boone, NC.

Paul began his career as commissioner of Caswell County in 1994 and went on to work in public health and administration for the next 30 years, most recently at Vaya Health as a Data Analyst.

Paul was a devoted father, son, and brother. He spoke English, Dutch and French and had lifelong passions for the game of soccer, the mountain outdoors, music, his faith and his family.

He was an eagle scout and a US Soccer Federation Referee - a role he took great pride in that allowed him to pursue his passions in a close-knit yet global community.

Paul is survived by his five children - Willem, Emma , Grace, Lucy, and Mary - their mother, Penelope, his parents Petrus and Maria Tax, and his siblings Johannes (Karen), Frans (Lisa), Wienke (Jane), Marieke (Adam) and many, many extended family members both here and abroad in the Netherlands.

He will be remembered for his kindness, his easy-going confidence, and his endlessly cheerful pursuit of connecting others and building support for everything he believed in. A funeral mass will take place at the Basilica of St. Lawrence in Asheville on Thursday, May 23 at 2 PM.

A celebration of life will follow at a later date. In lieu of flowers, a memorial fund has been established for any who may want to contribute to the family in this time of great loss.

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