Paul Trethewey left us on August 7, 2026 after four months grappling with cancer. His wife, son and many friends were by his side on the day he passed. He slipped away from us sooner than we all anticipated, and far sooner than we all hoped; but those who could did their best to make sure he was not alone. He was 78.

On April 26, 1948, in Everett Washington, Paul was welcomed into the world by his parents Glenn and Agnes, and his brothers Donn and Karner. His brothers still tell stories about that day with a twinkle in their eye.

As a high school student in Orange, California, Paul became part of a tight-knit cohort of A-students who referred to themselves as “The Brain Trust”. Over the years, The Brain Trust kept in touch, and these old friends showed up for Paul even in his last days. In 1968, Paul joined the United States Air Force. During the day he played the saxophone in an Air Force band. In the evenings, on his own time, he and a handful of others played in a small jazz ensemble.

After an honorable discharge, Paul explored new job opportunities. Starting in 1972, he worked at Superscope Inc as a technical writer. His instruction manuals for Marantz stereos were recognized in the business as excellent.

One day, Paul followed the sound of a flute to Mary’s front door. He knocked, and Mary answered, flute-in-hand. Not fully prepared, he asked, “Do you live here and was that you playing the flute?”— step one in a bond of over fifty years.

For some time, Paul had considered using the GI Bill to fund his continued education, but with Mary’s encouragement, this finally felt possible. In 1976, he made the leap to leave Superscope and go back to college to earn an Electrical Engineering degree and start a new career. In 1981 his first job was at Burroughs where he worked with a team to develop a new technology at the time— a high density storage disc. Later, in Nevada County, he worked on such products as GVG switchers and DSL modems at 2Wire. Many of his coworkers became life-long friends.

Also in 1981, Paul and Mary had a son, Peterson. As a dad, Paul showed his love by making things. An early project for the new engineer was a do-nothing electronic console with buttons, switches and lights to delight a toddler. When Peterson was 9, Paul built him an impressive go-kart that had a working steering wheel and brake pedal despite being made almost entirely out of wood. And every year, Paul made his son a birthday cake from scratch, with lovely, hand-piped, icing roses.

To engineers, Paul was known as a solid and dependable engineer. To musicians he had a similar reputation. He had been playing the saxophone since 1958 and continued playing throughout his lifetime. He said ‘yes’ to any project he thought would lead to a good performance, and played in numerous bands. He joined local productions of musicals, like How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying and Chicago. He arranged more than a hundred horn parts for the rhythm and blues band The Power of Twelve. His most enduring commitment was to the Sierra Nevada Winds Orchestra lasting from 1990 until this year, when his illness made playing impractical.

In his retirement, Paul also filled his time with other hobbies including: ham radio, learning German, and maintaining his classic car. Each pursuit connected him to a different community, and everybody in those communities loved him.

Those left to mourn Paul’s absence from their lives include: his wife Mary Richardson Trethewey, his son Peterson Trethewey, his brothers Donn and Karner Trethewey, his extended family, his many friends, and countless others whose lives he touched with his kindness, his good humor and his music.

In lieu of flowers, consider making a donation to the Cancer Aid Thrift Shop in Grass Valley, CA; a classical music station of your choice; or to one of Paul’s favorites: the Sierra Nevada Winds Orchestra.