Paul de Senna
June 15, 1943 - July 4, 2018
It is with great sadness that the family of Paul Fernando de Senna announces his sudden passing on July 4, 2018 after watching a fireworks display with Mary and friends. He is survived by his beloved wife, Mary Collins, their son, Brian, and his sisters, Roberta (Jim) and Olivia, his nephews (Mark, Alain) and nieces (Jonna, Maria) and great nephew (Kavi) and great nieces (Sabina, Zella, Addis). Paul was dearly loved by his brothers-in–law, Bob Collins (Debbie), Mike (Sally) and Dan (Laura) and their children. Mary and Paul enjoyed 47 years of a very happy marriage. Paul was predeceased by his cherished parents, Bernardino Victor and Geraldine Maria de Senna.
Paul graduated from St. Ignatius HS in 1961. After graduating from USF in 1966, Paul continued his studies and earned a MS in Mathematics from USF. He began his career in the aerospace industry with Mellonics in Sunnyvale and retired from L3 Communications. In between Paul had a group of excellent colleagues that worked at SDC, Unisys, Paramax, Loral, LM and finally L-3 for 35 years. Paul was a pioneer in satellite telemetry and was a key contributor to the technical progress in the early years of space exploration that is today the cornerstone of our National Security.
For over 30 years Paul volunteered his time and talents to youth soccer refereeing programs in Burlingame. He coached his son, Brian’s team for a number of years as well as refereed. Paul also was actively involved in Brian’s cub scout program. He was on the board of directors of AYSO from 1986 to 1997 holding many jobs including Division Coordinator, Chief Referee, Administrator and Tournament Director. In 1997, he was recognized for his work, and was awarded Volunteer of the Year. Paul was refereeing before 1986 and continued to referee through the 2017 season, a span of more than 30 years. With all his experience he preferred to referee the younger players helping them to better understand the game.
Paul was an extremely valuable member of the coaching staff of Burlingame High School. He was an assistant coach for the Girls Soccer Program, working with the Freshmen, Junior Varsity and Varsity teams. Whether it was setting up the fields or assisting the coaches, what made Paul stand out, was the time and energy he spent coaching and his concern for the young women in the program. Needless to say, Burlingame High School lost a valuable member of its family.
A Celebration of Life will be held in Paul’s honor at Burlingame Recreation Center on Thursday, September 6, 2018 from 3-6 pm. In lieu of flowers you may make a donation to the Donor Network West (donornetworkwest.org.) or the American Heart Association.