Mr. Paul Ivan Gingrich Jr.'s Obituary
Paul Ivan Gingrich Jr. passed away peacefully on July 19th, 2018. Paul was born on April 7th, 1926 to Paul Ivan Gingrich Sr. and Edna Gingrich in Tacoma Washington and he is survived by his brother Lee Gingrich and nieces and nephew, Jane, Carrie and Kent Gingrich.
Paul attended Stadium High School and the University of Puget Sound, where he was a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity. Paul finished his education at the University of Washington earning his bachelor’s degree in architecture. After finishing his education, Paul served in the US Army’s Armored Signal Company where he was stationed in Germany. He was a radio specialist and was responsible for engineering communications between Army Tanks and Aircraft.
After his service, Paul worked for Lea, Pierson and Richards architecture firm where he helped design and oversee the first major remodel of Tacoma General Hospital and was instrumental in the design and construction of the hospital sky bridge, the first on the West coast at the time. He also worked on the construction of Wilson High School and designed the award winning Wiseman residence overlooking the Narrows Bridge.
Paul was an avid collector and benefactor of the arts. He donated his vast collection of Northwest art to the Museum of Northwest Art in La Conner in 2010. Paul enjoyed traveling overseas and developed a special interest in Egyptian art and history. During Paul’s three trips to Egypt, he became acquainted with the chief of Egyptian monuments where Paul was afforded the opportunity to visit artifacts not open to the general public.
As a member of Tacoma Rotary, Paul was directly involved in Rotary’s international student program traveling with students to New Zealand and Australia. In addition to Museum of Northwest Art, Paul annually donated to the University of Puget Sound Scholarship Fund and the Emergency Food Network of Pierce County.
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