Paul Fleischauer Obituary

With family by his side, Paul Fleischauer passed away peacefully before dawn on October 7th, 2009. Born in Buffalo, New York, he moved to California to earn a Ph.D. in Chemistry from USC in 1968. After a short stay in Italy as a post graduate at the University of Rome, Paul returned the following year to southern California to work for the Aerospace Corporation in El Segundo, where he met his wife, Marlene and soon after started a family. He retired after 35 years as Principal Scientist/Director in 2004. During his life, Paul loved to watch and play golf and basketball. A devoted father and community volunteer, he participated on both soccer and Little League boards and could often be seen on the field as coach and/or referee. At times, he would assume the role of a "Mister Wizard" with demonstrations on chemistry magic for his children's class, or be seen at Hometown Fair as "bar-keep" or garden "security guard". As an active member of the Episcopal community, he embraced the St. Cross parish and people. As a family man, Paul loved quiet times with his wife and kids at home as much as he loved energetic holiday trips to Mammoth. Paul will be remembered for his kind and gentle manner behind a radiant smile. He was always the humble gentleman with a rare gift of accomplishing tasks with intelligence and speed, and, if needed, with peacemaking abilities to smooth out tenuous situations. But mostly, he will be remembered as a loving husband and father. He is survived by his wife of over 30 years, Marlene; daughter, Melissa; son, Michael; nephews, Andrew and Erik. Paul was taken from us far too soon.... he was a wonderful and kind man who loved life and loved people. Please join us at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, October 17, at St. Cross Episcopal Church in Hermosa Beach, (1818 Monterey Blvd) to celebrate and remember the life of Paul, husband, father, and friend. Please sign the guest book at www.dailybreeze.com/obits. Please go to the mortuary's website, www.LAfuneral.com. Send the family messages, share memories, obtain directions to services.

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Published by Lansing State Journal on Oct. 11, 2009.

Memories and Condolences
for Paul Fleischauer

3 Entries

Nabeeh & Barbara Totah

October 15, 2009

I met Paul some 20+ years ago at the recommendation of Seymour Fuerenstein. Paul and his team became the technical advisors on our Teldex Momentum Wheels. This consisted of detailed analyses , laboratory work and several trips to Heidelberg. In all of this, Paul was the quiet intellect who guided the work with skill and a charming wit. Later we became golfing buddies, with Paul and Marlene driving to Pebble Beach for a few rounds. That was the first time I realized Paul actually had a temper- it was the putting. In 2006 we played at Torrey Pines at his invitation. Our last get-together was in Palm Desert, Christmas 2008.
Its hard to believe this wonderful man is gone so early.
Nabeeh Totah (Pebble Beach, CA)

Mike Dugger

October 13, 2009

I met Paul in 1990 at a meeting for a program we were both working on. I was a green, fresh-out-of-school Ph.D. and Paul was a major technical contributor and manager on the project. From the start, I was impressed with how humble and friendly Paul was with new researchers, given his stature in the community. He was always happy to discuss a technical detail with a newbie, and treat them as peers. He will be missed.

Dino Christopoulos

October 12, 2009

I first met Paul in the lobby of Aerospace Corp. I was coming to a meeting and was introduced to Paul by the late Mike Gardos. Mike pointed out the many great folks that worked with Paul that I needed to know, however he specifically made it a point to tell me I needed to know Paul. I was just 20 years old and had no way to know that I would end up with a friend and colleague for the next 26 years. As usual, Mike was right about Paul, this was a great guy to know.

Paul was very busy before he retired and I would see him when there was an event or big meeting. He was a Director and most of the folks I knew and respected at Aerospace worked for Paul. Like many of his generation, the difference was that Paul was also a great technical expert in his own right, not just a manager. Many of those meetings were due to some crisis or technical problem and Paul was often right in the trenches. Paul made a difference in both ways, as a manager and a technical contributor.

Paul was easy to work with. He was a generation apart, yet I found him to be a great travel companion. His strong technical background combined with his management skills made him good to have along in a bad situation. He was very fair when there had to be compromise and that quality endeared him to the folks we visited. Once he made a repeat appearance Paul was value added and well respected. This earned Paul the respect of the folks we visited and it is what made him welcome whenever he returned.

It turned out I would see more of Paul after his retirement than while he was Director. We worked together and traveled often these last five years. We were even back to the Buffalo area where we talked about his youth. We walked along Niagara Falls in the dead of winter and talked about all the industry changes and our old friends while watching the ice form and break. We had those lake-effect snows and the Rust Belt in common where we came from. We were 21 years apart in age, but guys like Paul are timeless. He was a man of his generation that was much more than a Director or chemist; he was a great human being. You could talk to Paul about work, sports, kids, or life in general. You could tell why he was someone to know. Till next time Paul....

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