CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Former Corpus Christi Fire Marshal Randy Paige is on a new mission to save lives after losing his son to suicide in 2015. After retiring from 36 years of service with the Corpus Christi Fire Department in January 2025, Paige will now educate the public about suicide prevention through a powerpoint presentation.
"This is why I do it. I don't want you to get this text," Paige said, referring to his son's final message that read, "I love y'all and I'm sorry."
Paige's son, Colton, died by suicide in December 2015 at just 19 years old.
"We tried counseling, because there were some warning signs. And with Colton, he had that smile. You knew something was going on, but he'd look at you and say everything was fine," Paige said.
Now Paige and his wife hold an annual suicide awareness walk in honor of their son, but he believes more needs to be done.
"For every person who completes or attempts suicide, many more suffer from suicidal ideation," Paige said.
His current mission is to educate the public through a free 30-minute suicide awareness presentation he created.
"We didn't think suicide could ever happen to us. Not our kids," Paige said.
Paige says he will travel anywhere in the Coastal Bend for these presentations, even if it means helping just one family.
"That's our goal. To give them a chance. Give the parents a chance to not join our club," Paige said.
Paige also said he is not taking any payment for these presentations, but people can donate to his son's memorial scholarship. For more information about scheduling a presentation with Randy Paige, click here for his Facebook. Paige also gave a phone number he can be reached at: 361-728-6873.
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