Paul Joseph Minicucci (1947-2026) passed away on January 3rd in Iowa, where he lived with his partner of 12 years Susan Coleman and their beloved animals. Bo the cat will especially miss Paul’s coos and pets very much.
All of us will miss him too: his partner Susan Coleman, his sister Elena Minicucci, his brother in-law Adam Goldberg, his daughter Tracy Minicucci, daughter-in-law Bridget Daly, granddaughter Sinéad Minicucci, grandson Fionn Minicucci, ex-wife Cathy Adams Minicucci, ex-wife Julie Enos and her two daughters Stephanie Raney and Sara Raney, and all the friends and colleagues who have known him over the years.
He was a writer and painter who was politically astute, kind, funny, and charming with an abiding love of the arts. Politics, quantum physics and sports interested him but good art, conversation, music, food and friendships inspired him.
Paul grew up in White Plains, New York where he was deeply influenced by the faculty at Archbishop Stepinac High School in his formative high school years. The mentorship from his high school teachers sparked a deep lifelong interest in education, science, philosophy, literature, religion and art. After high school he attended UCLA. In college Paul met Cathy, whom he would go on to marry and start a family with. They were at UCLA during the late 1960s where they were lucky enough to see The Doors perform many times among other emblematic artists. The exposure to the LA music scene at the time was thrilling and inspiring to Paul.
After UCLA and a move to Boston, he returned to California where he pursued a Masters of Fine Arts at UC Davis. He also wrote and directed his own plays in the early 1970s at the New Theater Ensemble (Waltham, MA) and in the 1980s at the Sacramento Experimental Theater.
Paul cultivated a long career in and around the arts in California. He served at the California State Arts Council during two different administrations (Jerry Brown and Arnold Schwarzenegger). He also served on the Joint Committee on the Arts in the California State Senate for over a decade. Post retirement, he was a member of the Muscatine Committee For The Arts in Muscatine, Iowa and Director of Development at the Fairfield Arts and Convention Center (IA). He also worked as an advocate at The Next Generation California Tobacco Control Alliance and the Consortium for Learning and Research in Aging (CLARIA).
He had a deep belief in the power of the arts to enrich individuals and our communities. Paul had a talent for explaining the meaning of any given art piece, what the artist was trying to communicate or why it matters. He wanted to make connections for people in hopes that art could matter to them as much as it mattered to him and they would see the importance of supporting artists and arts organizations.
Paul’s experience working in the State Legislature sharpened his understanding of the connections between public policy and tangible outcomes that affect people’s lives. He wanted people to understand the consequences for who and what we voted for. He believed people should resist apathy, prioritize education and the arts, share resources and our collective society should let artists live in dignity rather than poverty.
We will miss his sweetness, altruism, and conversation but we’re relieved that he exited before dementia fully took his light.
In honor of Paul, you might donate to an organization that promotes the arts like these:
ACTA (https://actaonline.org/support/)
Arts Ignite (https://donate.artsignite.org/campaign/657413/donate)
Youth in Arts (https://youthinarts.org/donate-now/)
For questions or condolences: [email protected]
All of us will miss him too: his partner Susan Coleman, his sister Elena Minicucci, his brother in-law Adam Goldberg, his daughter Tracy Minicucci, daughter-in-law Bridget Daly, granddaughter Sinéad Minicucci, grandson Fionn Minicucci, ex-wife Cathy Adams Minicucci, ex-wife Julie Enos and her two daughters Stephanie Raney and Sara Raney, and all the friends and colleagues who have known him over the years.
He was a writer and painter who was politically astute, kind, funny, and charming with an abiding love of the arts. Politics, quantum physics and sports interested him but good art, conversation, music, food and friendships inspired him.
Paul grew up in White Plains, New York where he was deeply influenced by the faculty at Archbishop Stepinac High School in his formative high school years. The mentorship from his high school teachers sparked a deep lifelong interest in education, science, philosophy, literature, religion and art. After high school he attended UCLA. In college Paul met Cathy, whom he would go on to marry and start a family with. They were at UCLA during the late 1960s where they were lucky enough to see The Doors perform many times among other emblematic artists. The exposure to the LA music scene at the time was thrilling and inspiring to Paul.
After UCLA and a move to Boston, he returned to California where he pursued a Masters of Fine Arts at UC Davis. He also wrote and directed his own plays in the early 1970s at the New Theater Ensemble (Waltham, MA) and in the 1980s at the Sacramento Experimental Theater.
Paul cultivated a long career in and around the arts in California. He served at the California State Arts Council during two different administrations (Jerry Brown and Arnold Schwarzenegger). He also served on the Joint Committee on the Arts in the California State Senate for over a decade. Post retirement, he was a member of the Muscatine Committee For The Arts in Muscatine, Iowa and Director of Development at the Fairfield Arts and Convention Center (IA). He also worked as an advocate at The Next Generation California Tobacco Control Alliance and the Consortium for Learning and Research in Aging (CLARIA).
He had a deep belief in the power of the arts to enrich individuals and our communities. Paul had a talent for explaining the meaning of any given art piece, what the artist was trying to communicate or why it matters. He wanted to make connections for people in hopes that art could matter to them as much as it mattered to him and they would see the importance of supporting artists and arts organizations.
Paul’s experience working in the State Legislature sharpened his understanding of the connections between public policy and tangible outcomes that affect people’s lives. He wanted people to understand the consequences for who and what we voted for. He believed people should resist apathy, prioritize education and the arts, share resources and our collective society should let artists live in dignity rather than poverty.
We will miss his sweetness, altruism, and conversation but we’re relieved that he exited before dementia fully took his light.
In honor of Paul, you might donate to an organization that promotes the arts like these:
ACTA (https://actaonline.org/support/)
Arts Ignite (https://donate.artsignite.org/campaign/657413/donate)
Youth in Arts (https://youthinarts.org/donate-now/)
For questions or condolences: [email protected]
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Paul Joseph Minicucci, please visit our flower store.
Paul Joseph Minicucci's Guestbook
Visits: 48
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the
Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors