Paul Richard Siff

Paul Richard Siff
Paul Richard Siff, age 85, passed away Tuesday, July 23, 2024, at Yale New Haven Health-Bridgeport Hospital. Born in Brooklyn, New York, he was the son of Theodore and Jeanne Siff. Paul graduated from Brooklyn Technical High School and Brooklyn College, before earning a PhD in History from the University of Rochester, where he met Ellen, the love of his life. They were married for 59 years before Ellen passed away in 2021. Paul first taught American History at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri. Moving back east, he landed a job in 1969, as a professor at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut. He went on to become chair of the History department, taught countless students and retired in 2012, after a 43-year career.
He is survived by his son, Dave (Renae Wolter), daughter, Rachel Levesque (Mike), brother, Ira (Hans Pieter), and grandchildren, Gabriel Siff and Madeleine Levesque. Paul loved spending time with family and friends, especially in New York, where he and Ellen kept an apartment and enjoyed taking in the culture, from live music to museums to a simple stroll by the water. He loved bicycling, jazz and blues, travel, single-malt scotch, fountain pens, wristwatches, and – above all – a good book. His incredible sense of humor and intellectual prowess wowed generations of students and colleagues, and the family and friends who were lucky to have him as such a big part of their lives.
The family would like to thank the incredible staff at Yale New Haven Health-Bridgeport Hospital, who worked so hard and with so much compassion in Paul's final days.
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