COAL VALLEY -- The Rev. James Grieme paused, tilted his head skyward and smiled. He looked like he was playing the scene he was about to share in his mind.

After pausing, Rev. Grieme told those gathered Thursday in tribute to the late Paul Castle about a conversation the two had at a recent Chicago car show.

As the story goes, Rev. Grieme loves pickup trucks and Mr. Castle, president of the Quad-Cities' Popular Astronomy Club, was a "car" guy. Rev. Grieme knew Mr. Castle had formed the Quad-Cities Corvette Club and had competitively shown Pontiac Fieros and Mazda Miatas through the years. He also said Mr. Castle was secure enough with himself to once call his Miata "cute."

"So I tell Paul about pickup trucks," Rev. Grieme said during a spirited and heartfelt eulogy for Mr. Castle, who died May 15, at age 65. "I mentioned to Paul the pickup before us was good looking and he says to me: 'I don't think you can use truck and good-looking in the same sentence."

Coal Valley's New Hope Baptist church erupted with laughter. Those gathered knew, and they understood.

They, like many others, knew of Mr. Castle's love and dedication to his family and faith. They also knew a man who loved astronomy, would drive a thousand miles to see an eclipse, had an observatory in his back yard and was always trying to talk someone into sky watching.

They knew Mr. Castle, a technical illustrator in his 30 years with Deere and Co., brought instruction manuals and catalogs to life long before computers did.

"He drew the things some of us have no right working on or know what we are working on," Rev. Grieme said, again bringing laughter and smiles from the crowd. "He was so gifted."

But it was through his love of the sky that Quad-Citians came to know Mr. Castle. For 24 years he served as president of the Popular Astronomy Club, writing several how-to booklets for sky watching hopefuls. He taught astronomy classes and guided the club's mobile observatory.

"I believe Paul took the club to another level," said Robert Custer, a longtime member. "Paul was dedicated to all aspects of astronomy, but always did things with others in mind. He wanted to give anyone the opportunity to love astronomy as much as he did."

Mr. Custer considered Mr. Castle his closest friend, but said they did not always agree. When Mr. Castle wanted to buy a mobile observatory to reach more people, Mr. Custer balked. He cited cost and insurance premiums as primary concerns.

"But Paul went out and got help underwriting the (mobile) observatory and it has been a great addition to the community," Mr. Custer said. "He took whatever concerns I had and eased them. He never made problems, he always found ways to solve them. He was not a guy I talked to all the time, but he was someone I always knew I could lean on."

The same way so many others leaned on Mr. Castle for so many other things.