Paul Deneka

July 25, 1954 - October 20, 2020

SAN DIEGO — Paul Deneka was born on July 25th, 1954, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He attended the University of Minnesota, and obtained a B.S. in Chemical Engineering. He met his wife, Carlye Nystrom, in 1975, and they were married on August 18, 1984. In 1988, they moved to San Diego, California. He worked for many years at Jack-in-thebox, as an environmental engineer. He retired last year from Pacific Western Bank, where he was a Senior Vice President and Environmental Risk Officer. He loved to read, especially science fiction, fantasy, dystopian and historical fiction. He loved to listen to music, and had eclectic tastes ranging from classical to punk rock. In 2000, he and Carlye got a chance to take a wonderful trip to Australia, and fell in love with the country. Their favorite vacation spots were Monterey, California, and Maui. Many people knew him as a gentle, kind person, who would use soft words to deflect volatile situations. He died of bone cancer on October 20, 2020, after a more than two-year battle with a variety of cancers. He is survived by his loving wife, Carlye, as well as his brothers John Deneka, Walter Deneka, and Tony Deneka, and sister Helen Deneka, and nieces and nephews.

A virtual memorial service will take place on November 1, 2020. A scattering of ashes at sea will take place at a later date, when it is safe for the families to travel.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Paul’s name may be made to the Friends of READ/SAN Diego, PO Box 712343, San Diego, CA 92171, forsd.org, or Doctors Without Borders at doctorswithoutborders.org.

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