Obituary of Paul Cleopas Law, 78
Obituary of Paul Cleopas Law
September 22, 1945 – June 13, 2024
– Paul C. Law passed away peacefully on Thursday, June 13, 2024 in memory care at Santa Clarita, CA. He was a brilliant engineer who fought the good fight in his last years against the effects of Lewy Body dementia.
Paul had a long career building jackup oil rigs. He enjoyed flying sailplanes, riding racing bikes, driving rally cars on the backroads of Scotland and Ireland, skiing Lake Powell behind his boat “Miss B Haven” and cruising in his 1969 Boss302 Mustang. Sadly, in his later years, dementia no longer allowed him to enjoy those pursuits. He loved chocolate, Oreo cookies, his sons and his large extended family, his lifelong friends, and new adventures, not necessarily in that order.
Paul was raised in Lancaster, CA and graduated from Antelope Valley High School in 1963 and from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo in 1968 in aeronautical engineering. He worked as a engineer for Lockheed, and later in the oil drilling industry for Varco Oil Tools, Santa Fe International, GlobalSantaFe, and Transocean. He was known as an innovator of automated drilling on all of the rigs he built, which were deployed to drilling sites in the North Sea, Nova Scotia, and the Gulf of Mexico.
Paul retired to Paso Robles in 2010 and was an enthusiastic member of several local car clubs. He thoroughly enjoyed life in Paso Robles, and all the friends he made on the Central Coast, an area he had known decades before as a Cal Poly student.
Paul leaves behind his sons, Stefan Law MD, and Cameron Law, who stood vigil for him in his last weeks of life. Paul’s passing was eased by the comforting presence of his brothers and sisters who traveled to be with him: Patrick Stoliker, Janice Stoliker, Mary Stoliker Diaz, and Michael Watkins. Paul is also survived by his elder sister Leilani Law McNeely and by numerous nieces and nephews, as well as by Terri Sonleitner, who was Paul’s wife and life partner for 33 years.
Paul lived an interesting and action-filled life, and he always did things to a very high standard. He was truly an “A” in a world of “C” standards, whether he was building jackup rigs, or race cars, or a new home for his family. We will remember his movie star good looks, and memories of his wonderful smile will warm our thoughts of him. We trust that he is at Peace now. Final arrangements will be finalized at a later date.
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