Paul Joseph Krusic

Paul Joseph Krusic

Wilmington - Paul Joseph , age 82, who died unexpectedly from injuries sustained in a fall on Oct. 28, 2017, was born in Sezana, Slovenia, on the Italian border, Nov. 28, 1934. He was the second of three children of Pavel Josef Krusic, a merchant, and Erminija Krusic, nee Gerbec.

Paul studied at various schools in Postojna, Slovenia, and in Trieste, Italy, where the family moved as refugees after World War II. He attended the University of Trieste and was granted a Fulbright Scholarship to attend Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT. After graduating from Wesleyan, he worked at General Electric in Schenectady, NY, before moving with his family to California to begin his doctoral studies in chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley. He obtained his doctorate in physical chemistry in 1966, and went to work at DuPont, in Wilmington, DE, as a research chemist. He was a visiting professor in Slovenia in 1972, and in France in 1983 and 1988. He is the author of more than 100 scientific papers, and holds seven U.S. patents. In 1976, he organized a symposium on fluorine-containing free radicals, and in 1986, he was chairman of the Gordon Research Conference on Radical Ions.

Paul was a true Renaissance man, with many and varied interests. He spoke several languages, Slovenian and a Slovenian dialect, Italian and the Triestino dialect, English and French, and was a voracious reader of books and periodicals in these languages. He read Time, The Economist, and C&E News every week. He also read La Repubblica online every day, subscribed to mladika, a monthly periodical in Slovenian, and never missed the New York Times Book Review on Sunday. Paul enjoyed traveling with his wife, Louise, and they organized vacations every year in Europe to bring the family together. An avid hiker, he did some serious mountaineering in his youth, including rock climbing, and continued hiking throughout his life. He enjoyed skiing, photography, cooking and gardening, and was especially proud of the dahlias he cultivated. He was also handy at plumbing and electrical repairs and did volunteer work at the Green Acres pool for years. But above all his hobbies, he loved classical music and playing the piano. An especially favorite pastime was spending time with his grandchildren, and he always found fun and interesting activities to share with them.

In addition to his wife, Louise Allen, Paul is survived by his brother, Marijan Krusic (Vera), his son, Paul Krusic Jr. (Anna), two daughters, Sonja O'Donnell (Michael), and Mara Carmean (Sean), his step-daughter, Cristina Sanchis (Jeff Passerini), and five grandchildren, Julian O'Donnell, Calvin Carmean, Jonas Krusic, Kane Carmean and Amarita Krusic. He is also survived by his brother-in-law, Slavko Tratnik and his former wife, Mary Tillotta. He was predeceased by his parents, his sister, Annamaria Tratnik and his cousin Viktorija Novak.

A memorial service will be held Saturday, Nov. 18, at 11 a.m., at the DuPont Country Club, 1001 Rockland Road, Wilmington, DE. Calling hours will be Friday, Nov. 17, from 6-8 p.m. at McCrery & Harra Funeral home, 3924 Concord Pike, Wilmington DE.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Music School of Delaware, 4101 Washington St., Wilmington, DE 19802 (www.wilmingtonmusic.org).

For online condolences visit: www.mccreryandharra.com