Paul Allyn Pickard

Paul A. Pickard went to be with his Lord on December 15, 2012. Paul was born in Holyoke, MA on Jan. 25, 1945, the son of Kathryn and Harvey Pickard. He was pre-deceased by a sister, Betty Schravesande, two brothers, Donald and James Pickard, a nephew, Thomas Pickard, and a grandson, Taylor Bickham. He is survived by a son and daughter-in-law, Christopher and Audra Pickard of Wilmington, NC, a daughter, Jessica Pickard Endicott, NY, a sister and brother-in-law, Gail and Anthony Lenkiewicz of Livingston Manor, NY, a grandson, Jacob Bickham of Endicott, NY, and 12 nieces and nephews.

The family moved to Johnson City, NY in 1949 where Paul graduated from Johnson City High School as a class salutatorian. He also graduated from Broome Technical Community College, Binghamton, NY, attended SUNY College of Forestry and Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY and finished his bachelor’s degree at SUNY Binghamton, Binghamton, NY. Paul was elected to Phi Theta Kappa and Alpha Xi Epsilon national honor societies at Broome Tech and Syracuse. Paul’s academic pursuits were interrupted by the Vietnam War while he served in the U.S. Navy as a Communications Technician. The majority of his enlistment was spent in Rota, Spain, where he earned several awards and ribbons.

Paul was employed by General Electric/Martin Marietta Aerospace Division in Westover, NY as a Quality Assurance Engineer for over twenty years. After moving to the Wilmington, NC area, he was employed as a Quality Assurance Engineer at Sturdy Corp for ten years. Paul was a past member of the American Metallurgical Society, the American Society for Quality where he attained the ranking of Certified Quality Engineer and served as secretary of the local chapter for two years, and was a current member of American Legion Post 10 in Wilmington, NC.

Paul was also an accomplished athlete, enjoying softball, golf, and bowling, and his favorite indoor sports, football, and pinball. The peak of his success came when he a bowled a perfect 300 game in Endicott, NY.

Funeral services will be held on Wednesday, December 19, 2012 at 10:00 AM at Coble Ward-Smith, Oleander Chapel with the Rev. Roland Hamby presiding. Inurnment will be at Valley View Cemetery, South Ostelic, NY in the spring.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the NICU unit of New Hanover Regional Medical Center.

The staff of Coble Ward-Smith is honored to serve the family of Paul Pickard.