Paul Bernard Blumberg Sr.

1928 - 2022

Paul Bernard Blumberg, Sr.

1928 - 2022

Paul Bernard Blumberg, Sr. of St. Helena, CA entered into eternal rest on June 7, 2022. He is survived by his wife of 68 years, Rosalie (Garaventi) Blumberg, who was the love of his life and with whom he enjoyed practicing the Catholic faith, and raising four children, and enjoying their many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

He was born in New London, Connecticut on February 12, 1928. He was the son of a career naval officer, Ernest Richard Blumberg, and his British WWI bride, Grace Barrett. While the family moved around frequently due to his father's career, the family finally settled in California. Paul and his two older siblings, Ernest Richard II (deceased), and Marion (deceased) enjoyed a bucolic life in Altadena, at the foot of the San Gabrial Mountains, and later on the ocean in Long Beach.

Paul attended Woodrow Wilson High School in Long Beach and there he enjoyed driving a Model A roadster given to him by his brother, who left to serve in the Pacific Theater during WWII. He learned to modify the roadster and was driving even before he could legally obtain his license. Tinkering with cars became a lifelong hobby for him.

It was at the family home on Alamitos Bay that Paul discovered a passion for sailing. He would sail boats small and large, alone or as a part of a crew, even sailing as far as Catalina Island. He was proud that he and friends formed the first sailing club at Long Beach City College, and he competed in college competitions all over southern California.

It was here in Long Beach where he learned ship building in a neighborhood workshop, learning from the inventor of a new kind of sailboat, the Naples Sabot. The woodworking skills building Sabots would stay with him as a lifelong hobby. He painstakingly restored antique furniture, and later in life he even obtained a certification to build and repair violins.

In 1952, Paul was drafted as the Korean War created a need to bolster the nations armed forces. He was initially destined to join combat with the Army, but fortune intervened, some say based on his father's military connections, and he was offered the alternative of serving in the U.S. Air Force. After being trained as a pharmacist's assistant, he was assigned to Wroughton U.S. air base in Wiltshire, England. Here in his mother's native country, he enjoyed being close to his English aunts, uncles, and cousins. He often recalled time spent at his cousin Janice's pub in London, and visiting the dancehalls in Brighton.

Prior to shipping out to his post in England, he met his future wife when a family member brought him to visit friends in Hoboken, N.J. Years before, he had heard about a beautiful Italian woman from his brother, who had made a similar visit during WWII. Paul and Rosalie met on Good Friday and by Easter Sunday, he asked her to marry him. She said yes but he had to leave for England the following day.

After Paul converted to Catholicism, he and Rosalie were married in the St. Joseph's Church in Upminster, Essex, England. It is here in a small house next to the air base that they began their marriage. Nine months later, they welcomed their first of four children, Ernest Rick Richard Blumberg, III. In the following years, additional children followed including Loretta (Lorrie), Sandra (Sandy), and Paul Jr.

After leaving the military, Paul continued his education and eventually earned a bachelor's degree at Redlands University. His career was primarily in the aerospace industry and he worked at many of the bustling southern California firms, retiring from Rockwell International in 1992. He was proud of his participation in NASA's Apollo space program, NASA's space shuttle program, the B-1 bomber, and even the first commercially available global positioning system, aka GPS.

Family was always the most important thing to Paul, and he enjoyed spending time with his eight grandchildren: Natalie, Christopher, Jordan, Sandra, Ian, Marc, Bella, and Peter. In addition, there were eight grandchildren who would visit the man referred to as Pop-pop and Bear.

A public viewing will be held from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, June 16th at the Claffy and Rota Funeral Home in Napa. The following day, June 17th, a funeral mass will be held at 11:30 a.m. at the St. Helena Catholic Church, with funeral services to follow immediately afterward at 12:30 p.m. at the Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery in St. Helena.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests the donations be made to the following charities: Catholic Charities catholiccharitiesUSA.org, St Helena Catholic Church located at 1340 Tainter St., St Helena CA 94574, or a charity of your choice.