Paul Kay Telford

1939 - 2016

Paul Kay Telford Paul passed away on February 7. Paul was born into a Mormon farming family with six siblings in West Bountiful near Salt Lake, Utah. As an Eagle Scout, he embarked on his version of a mission - The United States Air Force. Discharge saw him standing tall (6'2") and stoic with the Gl Bill in hand. With a degree in Mechanical Engineering, Paul worked on the construction and retrofitting of nuclear and coal fired power plants throughout the west. Weekends were spent hunting and fishing; anything and everything outdoors. As the large engineering projects ebbed, Paul turned to small scale entrepreneurship. About this time, Paul acquired an old John Deere tractor to use on their property, outside of Olympia. Now, that Old John Deere tractor sits on the beautiful property, well used and completely restored. With new green paint, one could easily overlook all the love, care, perseverance, ingenuity and frugality that went into making it shine. But that was Paul, applying his many talents and interests. He moved on to become a landlord, developer, designer and contractor. Restless and energetic, he turned his attention to local politics; applying his sense of right, economy and practicality. A hallmark of his activism was the State Supreme Court's affirmation of his suit regarding funds used by quasi-governmental entities to influence ballot measures (Telford v Thurston County). Paul was elected a Port of Olympia Commissioner serving from 2002-2010. After years of travel, Paul spent winters in Arizona, playing water volleyball and hiking, and summers doing projects on Totten Inlet. Throughout, he has put high value on family and friends. Paul is survived by his wife, Mary; sister, Kathy Thompson; brothers, Robert, Don and Michael; children, Erin Lyons, Shelly Wagar, Chris Wagar and Robin Olson. A private memorial will be held in Paul's honor this summer.