Paul and Sheila died after a fire broke out in their Blairstown home in the wee hours of June 16, the Ridge View Echo and WFMZ reported.
New Jersey State Police responded to a report of a house fire on Mohican Road shortly before 1 a.m. that day. Firefighters found the couple unconscious and rescued them from the burning home. Authorities performed CPR, but Paul and Sheila died shortly afterward.
The fire was brought under control at 1:03 a.m., and the cause remains under investigation.
Kyle confirmed her parents’ deaths in a June 16 Facebook post, which read, “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. We’re grateful to the Blairstown Fire Department for their efforts. Service plans to follow.”
Parker told the New York Post that Paul and Sheila died from smoke inhalation.
Joe Phalon, a Ridge View Echo employee, told WFMZ he “got a call saying what happened,” and he “just couldn’t believe it.”
“I always like to call Paul the most interesting man in the world, because he was when you consider everything he’s done in his life. Acting, skydiving, Vietnam veteran, started a newspaper,” he said. “His death is going to leave a real void in this community. Not just Blairstown, but the towns around as well. I think we’ll really miss him, and I think it’s going to become more apparent over time.”