Michael Lee Paup

10/27/1941 - 08/20/2025

Michael Lee Paup, 83, of Falls Church, Virginia, died at his home Wednesday, August 20, 2025, of heart failure. Born and raised in Wichita, Kansas, Mike graduated from Columbia University in 1963 with a degree in English. He received his LL.B. from the University of Virginia Law School in 1969.
In 1967, he married Bernis Lewis, of Norris, Tennessee. After he completed law school, they moved to Northern Virginia so that Mike could begin his career as an attorney for the Tax Division of the United States Department of Justice. Mike and Bernie had two daughters, Jennifer Anne Shy and Julie Elizabeth Paup Fowler.
During his twenty-six years with the Justice Department, Mike served as an attorney in the appellate division, becoming Chief Appellate Secretary in 1980. In 1987, he was named Deputy Assistant Attorney General, a position he held until 1995. From April through December of 1993, he served as Acting Assistant Attorney General, supervising the operations of the entire Tax Division. In 1995, he moved to the Internal Revenue Service to become special counsel for the Office of Chief Counsel, a position he held until his retirement in 2002.
An avid reader and follower of current events, Mike's curiosity about the world and its people took him from painting stripes on airplanes to tours of Civil War battlefields, amateur photography, race car driving, and road trips criss-crossing the United States.
Mike was a devoted husband and a beloved father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. He cherished holiday gatherings and time with family. A consummate host, he seamlessly took over as house chef after Bernie's death, and relished trying out new recipes for those lucky enough to share his table.
Mike was predeceased by his wife Bernie and his older brother Terry. He is survived by his daughters and their husbands, seven grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. No services are scheduled at this time.