Paul Gerhard Sobieski

Paul Gerhard Sobieski (86) passed on to his Heavenly Home Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025 at Whatcom Hospice House in Bellingham, WA, after a long journey with dementia and heart failure. Paul was born in Syracuse, New York to Gerhard and Dorothea Sobieski and is survived by his wife Frances (Frisby) Sobieski of 54 years, and sister, Virginia Blanchard of Spring Valley, CA, Paul and Fran were married in Sept, 1971 in San Diego, CA. Together they raised his boys: Bill, now in CA, Mike now in Oregon, and John now in WA., and Fran’s two girls: Teri Everett, and Krisi Sonneland, both in Spokane, WA.  Paul and Fran had a son, Richard, living now in Ferndale, WA.  Their grandchildren are: Lucy Fujiwara, Texas, Matt Everett and Andrew Sonneland and Katie Brambilia, Spokane, Jack Everett, NYC, Amy Everett St. Louis, MO, Adam, Betsy and Ben Sonneland, CA in college, Talisa and Rachel Sobieski, OR, and Jude and Magnolia Sobieski, WA, Brandon and Cassandra Gale, WA, Ashley Andersen, WA, and Great-Grandchildren: Elyse Fujiwara in Texas, and Amelia Brambila in Spokane, Elliot, Elsa, and Emberly Gale in WA, Madaline, Treavor, and Tessa Andersen in WA. He is also survived by his nephew Peter Blanchard, and his children Josh and Gaina, in CA.

Paul was a civil engineer in private firms, as well as for the City of El Cajon, in CA, and the Arizona Dept of Transportation. In 1972, the family moved to Tempe, AZ, and in 1981.  They moved to North Pole, Alaska for his job with the Army Corps of Engineers at Fort Wainwright and Eielson AFBase. In 1985, Paul, Fran, Krisi and Rich moved to Japan, where Paul was Engineering Director at MCAS Iwakuni, Japan. This was one of his favorite jobs, in part due to the chance to travel to Korea for pheasant hunting, wild boar hunting with the Japanese hunting club, and taking family trips to Okinawa, Hong Kong, the Phillipines, Guam and Hawaii. In 1991, they moved back to the US, where Paul worked at Subbase Bangor, in Silverdale, WA until his retirement in 2004 when they moved to Deer Park to be near many of the grandkids.  

Paul served his community as a member of the Knights of Columbus, and as a S.C.O.P.E. volunteer for the Deer Park Sheriff's Dept.  Paul and Fran also helped at the Senior Center where he charmed the widows while playing pinochle.

Paul and Fran traveled widely in their motorhome exploring the Civil War battlefields, their hometowns in New York and Wisconsin, and toured most of the US, including many National Parks.   Paul continued his life long passion for hunting with his sons, Rich and John after moving Deer Park, WA in 2004.  All his children loved his hunting tales and learned from his excellent fixer-upper/do-it-yourself skills. While in Japan, Paul and Rich went scuba diving, rekindling an activity Paul enjoyed as a young adult. In high school, Paul played football and enjoyed racing cars. Paul joined model railroad clubs wherever he lived, and started one in Japan. Grandpa Paul was famous for his “ticklebug” who lived in his shirt pocket and delighted the little ones.  As a father, Paul fostered a great love of the outdoors taking the family on camping and hunting trips each year.   

As a supervisor, Paul’s co-workers would tell Fran that he was one of their best bosses due to his good listening skills and fairness in his interactions with them, from secretaries to high level military brass; he treated everyone with great respect and dignity.  Paul’s deep faith in God was evident to those who knew him, including the family,  due to his consistent and active membership in his Catholic parish as well as his involvement with Marriage Encounter.  

Paul believed the best legacy he could leave his family was to demonstrate what a Godly marriage looked like.  For years, Paul and Fran wrote daily love letters as a way of prioritizing their relationship.  Paul trusted in the goodness of God. When trials came, he sought God’s wisdom and believed the Lord’s love would carry them through - even when the way was not clear.  He was known for his dry wit by family and friends. As a loving husband, father and grandfather, he prayed nightly with Fran that his family would be kind to everyone and find their God given purposes in life.  His family takes great comfort in knowing that his faith in Jesus Christ will carry him to his Heavenly Home. He was a dear soul who will be missed by all who knew him.