Paul Coleman (James) McGillicuddy
1938 - 2020
Resident of Aptos
Paul James McGillicuddy, 81, of Aptos, CA, died at home of metastatic melanoma on October 22, 2020 surrounded by members of his family. In addition to his wife of 54 years, Geri, he is survived by his son Daniel and his partner Kate of Seattle, WA; son David and his wife Katie, and their children Cole and Abigail of Aptos; son Kevin of Cle Elum, WA; daughter Denise of Branford, CT; brother and sister-in-law Mark and Jean of Milton, MA; sister-in-law Carol of Dedham, MA; sister-in-law Lauren of Malden, MA; and a large and loving extended family and many friends. He was preceded in death by his mother Elizabeth, his father James, and his brothers Peter and Tom.
Paul and his three younger brothers grew up in Jamaica Plain, MA, in a triple-decker "Irish battleship", spending their summers in a cold-water cottage at Brant Rock, MA, and riding the T to the Garden and Fenway. He attended Boston College High school with encouragement and support from his uncle Daniel, and after graduation from Boston State Teacher's College in 1962, became a teacher in Maynard, MA. In 1963 he traveled to Oklahoma on a summer National Science Foundation grant to learn about the new field of computers, then continued west to Long Beach, CA. Through mutual friends, he was introduced to fellow Boston-area native Geri Bozadjian, and they married in 1966 . In 1969 Paul transitioned from school-room teaching to the business world as an instructor in computers for Honeywell, later transferring to their office in San Jose, CA. In 1972 he began working for Hewlett-Packard, first as an instructor, then in management, and finally in the Neely Sales Division. In 1980 the family moved to Aptos, CA. After retirement from HP, Paul stayed active as a part-time math teacher and tutor for area public and private schools, as a marshal for the Seascape Golf Club, as Treasurer for the Grey Bears organization, and as gardener and vermicologist. He and Geri enjoyed traveling and made memorable trips to visit family "back East", to Arizona for spring training, to Australia, to Italy, to Spain, and to Ireland, where Paul researched his family's genealogy. He was a great raconteur and enjoyed socializing with 'The Group', never letting the truth get in the way of a good story. He loved math and loved people who loved math, and was famous for his positive attitude, epitomized by favorite phrases such as "Up and to the right!" and, "I can't wait until tomorrow because I get better looking every day!" He passed on his love of the Red Sox and all Boston sports to his children and grandchildren, all of whom joined him and 27 other McGillicuddys in his extended family in the stands at Fenway in 2018, the most recent Championship season for the Red Sox.
Due to the constraints of COVID–19, services for Paul will be held at a later date. In the meantime, please toast him with the beverage of your choice, perhaps a glass of his favorite Kendall-Jackson Chardonnay. Contributions in Paul's memory may be sent to Hospice of Santa Cruz (hospicesantacruz.org) or Grey Bears (greybears.org).

View the online memorial for Paul Coleman (James) McGillicuddy