- Date Of Death: March 4, 2010
- State: Connecticut
Paul A. Gustafson, 68, of Lakewood Ranch, FL (formerly of Hamden, CT) died
suddenly on March 4, 2010 while on vacation with his wife and friends in
Taormina, was the husband of Elaine M. Gustafson.
Paul enjoyed a full life, before and after his retirement, and loved
traveling the world with his wife. His greatest joy was his seven
grandfather and friend were the touchstones of his life.
Mr. Gustafson was born in Lynn, Massachusetts, where he graduated from ‘s High School. He received a bachelor’s degree from BostonUniversity
and completed post-graduate management programs at the Harvard Business
School and the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
His business career spanned 45 years. He started as a salesman and rose
steadily through the managerial ranks in the manufacturing
1979, he became the general manager of Emhart Corporation’s Pop Fastener
assumed the role of Vice President for Pacific Rim 1988,
he was named Emhart’s Vice President for European Operations based in
Birmingham, England. When Emhart was acquired by Black and Decker, he
became Executive Vice President of the Corporation and CEO of Emhart
Teknologies. He retired in 2007. Throughout his career, Mr. Gustafson was known for his strategic insight and understanding of the global mentored many young executives and also sought to inspire
creativity in American engineers through the annual “Create the Future
Design Contest,” an award he sponsored through Emhart Teknologies for
innovative industrial design concepts. In 2007, Mr. Gustafson was electedto serve as Chairman of the Board of Quinnipiac Bank and Trust Company of Hamden, CT, a bank he helped to establish.
Mr.
inspired by his Catholic faith. For 17 years, he served as a trustee of
the Hospital of St. Raphael of New Haven, CT. He had a particular
interest in helping the hospital fulfill its mission to help poor and
underserved patients. In 2009, the governing board of the hospital
presented him with the Archbishop Henry J. O’Brien Award for outstanding
leadership. He, along with his wife, Elaine, supported a student
scholarship program at Yale School of Nursing. He was a strong supporter
of his alma mater, St. Mary’s Boys High School in Lynn, Massachusetts.
For his commitment to Catholic education, he was presented with the
Richard Cardinal Cushing Award in 2006 in recognition of his untiring
effort on behalf of Catholic education and for commitment to the improvement of educational opportunities for young men and women. He waselected to the St. Mary’s “Hall of Fame” for his efforts on their was a strong supporter of the St. Joseph’s Carpenter Society of East Camden, NJ, a non-profit organization that helps families improve their quality of life and their neighborhoods through home ownership.
Mr. Gustafson was a dedicated mariner. He spent much of his retirement sailing with his wife on their boat, the Santa Clara, cruising the
Atlantic coast from New England to Florida and the Gulf of Mexico.
He leaves his loving wife, Elaine, five children and seven grandchildren.
They are: his son Paul and his wife Lesley Gustafson, and their children
Frances and Margaret, of Madison, CT; his daughter Danielle and her husband William Clarke, and their children Catherine and Annika, of North
Kingstown, RI; his daughter Amanda Gustafson and her husband Eric Olsen,
and their daughter Magny of Shelburne, VT; his son Peter and his wife Robyn Gustafson, and their children Linnea and Edward of Fort Collins, CO; and his son Andrew Gustafson of Brooklyn, NY. He also leaves one sister, Patricia. Paul, known as “Coach” to his grandchildren, was an extraordinarily devoted and loving husband, father, and grandfather. He
was predeceased by his parents, Arthur and Clare, and by his brother,Robert.
date.
