Paul S. Mead

Paul S. Mead of Sonoma, age 75, died peacefully on the evening of January 24, 2023. His wife, daughters, and granddaughter were by his side.

A dedicated husband, father, and grandfather, Paul will be remembered for his bright smile, spirited sense of humor, and loyalty. He was a great storyteller, always sharing anecdotes of a full life.

Born to Paul Sather Mead and Audrey Jane Woog on June 13, 1947 in Hong Kong, Paul spent the majority of his adolescence overseas growing up in Yokohama, Japan, attending an international school and learning Japanese. Paul had many stories about growing up in Japan: befriending another American family of 13 redheads; starting ‘Hermit’s Point Surf Club’ and taking surfboards on the Yokohama train line; becoming the default dog wrangler for families who returned to the states and left their dogs behind. An athlete from a young age, Paul played tennis, baseball, joined a swim team, and fell in love with the game of soccer.

Back in the states, Paul attended Lawrence University in Wisconsin and Menlo School of Business for undergrad, with a year spent at Sophia University in Tokyo, then received his MBA in International Business from Thunderbird. From here, Paul worked in the International food import business, specializing in importing frozen fruits and vegetables between the United States and Asia (he may have been the plug for those delectable potatoes that made up MacDonald’s french fries).

Paul met his wife Betsy on the ski slopes of Heavenly Valley a handful of years before they were reunited on a sidewalk of San Francisco (Betsy spontaneously hopped off her bus, to find Paul “Buzzy” who immediately asked her on a date). After marrying in ‘77, Paul and Betsy went from San Francisco to Portland and back again, eventually moving up to Sonoma to raise their two daughters, Paige and amanda.

A lifelong soccer player and enthusiast, Paul was dedicated to passing on the love of the game. He spent years coaching his daughter’s teams before moving on to be an assistant at Sonoma Valley High School, and then Head Coach for Girls Soccer at Justin Sienna high school. He is remembered as instilling confidence in his players, and encouraging good sportsmanship.

Paul continuously committed himself to the local Sonoma soccer and youth communities, having served on the board of the Sonoma Mentoring Alliance and on the board of Sonoma Valley Youth Soccer League. Most recently he held a position as the league’s Director of Coaching, as he believed strongly in a positive coaching environment for all players. His hope was to foster opportunities for all kids to play soccer, and have fun doing so.

Often sporting a large grin, Paul loved to apply song lyrics to life’s moments. It was a toss up who his favorite Beatle was - George or John - but a sure thing was his love for the ocean and watching the surf. This love of the sea and music was shared by his wife and passed on to his daughters and grandchildren.

Paul is survived by his wife Elizabeth, daughter Paige and son-in-law Ben, daughter Amanda, and honorary son Dan and daughter-in-law Dana, grandchildren Georgia and Finn and Felix, his sister Mary and niece Kate.

Memorial contributions can be made to Sonoma Valley Youth Soccer Recreational league on their website here:

https://sonomavalleyunited.org/paul-mead-memorial-scholarship-and-donations/

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