Paul Winslow Wendel

Paul Winslow Wendel, having successfully waged a delay campaign against Parkinson’s Disease for over twenty-one years, was finally defeated after a short but intense battle with pancreatic cancer. He passed away surrounded by family just before midnight on June 14, 2021, although the death certificate reads June 15. As a life-long government employee and civil servant, Paul was very familiar with bureaucracy and so he would understand.

Speaking of bureaucracy, Paul served as a counterintelligence officer in the US Army; worked for the FBI, first as a clerk and then as a Special Agent; was a security officer for Salt Lake County; and worked for the State of Utah as an investigator for the Office of Recovery Services (where he chased deadbeat dads) before finishing up his career as a systems analyst in the same department. He took occasional detours from public service to go on adventures as a private detective and security officer for Jeffrey L. Nelson Investigations.

Paul was drawn to all things electronic, having accumulated a vast store of speakers, switches, transistors, soldering irons, meters, probes, and a near-infinite collection of assorted lengths of wire. Paul’s favorite store was Radio Shack, and he assembled countless Heathkit projects (usually adding his own special modifications) until the microcomputer revolution of the early eighties diverted his attention. While serving as Assistant Scoutmaster (a position he secured by trading on his status as an Eagle Scout), Paul authored a database program from scratch in BASIC to track the scouts’ progress through their rank requirements, thus beating the Boy Scouts of America to the punch by at least a decade.

Paul took great pleasure in documenting the lives and accomplishments of his family, never missing a concert, recital, or ceremony. His omnipresent mini camcorder was always running in the background. A hobbyist photographer, Paul especially enjoyed the advances in digital photography which allowed him to photograph his grandchildren without restraint.

Paul was the son of George Frederick and Nellie May Winslow Wendel, and was the big brother to four sisters. He was born in Washington, D.C. on June 26, 1944. Paul was called by the LDS church to the Western States Mission, serving in Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas. He is survived by his wife of 52 years, Kathy Hummel Wendel; his adoring and smarty-pants children, Daniel (Stacey Wilton) Wendel, Jennifer Reno, Kierstin (Gary) Gibbs, and Rachel (Stephen) Parks; and 8.75 grandchildren.

Funeral services will be held Saturday, June 19, at 2:00 pm at the Centerville Stake Center at 950 North Main Street, where Paul spent innumerable hours of his life reading science fiction novels while his daughters practiced the pipe organ. His patience with their infernal tootling was noteworthy, even as they fumbled their way through his most beloved pieces of baroque music while honing their craft. Friends and family may visit before the service from 1:00 to 1:45 pm.

Due to Paul’s lifelong pollen allergies, he despised flowers. In lieu of flowers, please honor him by donating in his name to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, the Huntsman Cancer Institute, or the Clark Planetarium.

Online guest book at www.russonmortuary.com.