R.I.P. "Paddy" Mitchell

Recently, a "hero" of mine has passed away from lung cancer. I say hero, not because I wanted to be this person, but I was always amazed at his life's story. He was not a good person in the traditional sense, but anybody that met him in their lives would say that he was one of the nicest people they've ever met.

The Mitchell family used to live on my street. My dad told me of Paddy's story originally, and I have been following it for many years since.

Patrick "Paddy" Michael Mitchell was one of America's Most Wanted as a member of a notorious bank robbing gang dubbed "the stopwatch gang". During the 70's, 80's and even into the 90's, the stopwatch gang continuously evaded police and led a perpetual life of crime that they could not escape.

Paddy, during his travels, met many people during these crime filled years. In nearly every encounter, people continuously defended Paddy and his gang members because he seemed to genuinely care about the people that were in his life. It just so happend that many of these individuals did not know what Paddy did for a living. They only found out when Paddy had to go back on the run.

Paddy, during his decades of bank robbing, never shot his gun. He justified bank robbing by believing that banks make billions of dollars from hard-working individuals. He claimed that he would never steal from people that had earned their money.

Paddy wanted a life of luxuruy without the 9 to 5 job. He understood that the daily grind that most people go through was difficult, and often a struggle, to ensure food is kept on the table. With bank robbing, Paddy found a profession that allowed him to bypass the difficulties of regular work, but he gave up something.

Paddy gave up family and friends. His story reminds me how valuable family and friends are in life. He chose a life of luxury, but lost his life of companionship. He spent his final years in a maximum security jail.

Alone.

He was recently diagnosed with lung cancer, and according to his blog, he was not suffering. His dying wish was that he would be transfered to a Canadian prison. He wanted to be closer to his family that he left behind so many years ago. He had grandchildren that he met only once. He wanted the life back that he gave up so many years ago. But, he never got that wish.

Paddy will be missed.