Paul Jursik passed away suddenly at his home near Lake Harriet on March 25th, 2020. He was 60 years old.
Born on August 25th, 1959, in Tarrytown, N.Y., to Eileen “Riki” (née Arikian) and James Jursik, Paul was the fourth of five siblings. After several work-related moves, the family settled in Rochester, MN, in 1962, where Paul grew up playing hockey, a sport he continued to love playing into his thirties. In Paul’s words, “It’s not a sport if you don’t bleed.”
Paul earned a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. After graduating college, Paul traveled abroad for two years. During that time he worked on a farm in Turkey, lived in a kibbutz in Israel, and traveled to other countries in the region. From there he moved to Montreal briefly and then to Boston where he spent his twenties. He then moved to Minneapolis, started a family, had two daughters, Sarah and Julie, and built a lawncare and plumbing business.
Loving all things adrenaline, Paul was an avid skydiver, snowboarder, motorcyclist, and in recent years a hang-glider. Skydiving was a passion of Paul’s for close to thirty years, during which time he completed over 1,500 jumps. He particularly loved sharing his joy of the sport through his role as an instructor, taking many people on their first skydive by jumping tandem. The Minnesota State Fair was an annual favorite event of Paul’s, overlapping with his birthday. His favorite stops were Tiny Tim Donuts, roller coasters, corn on the cob, and then a full repeat before the day was over.
We celebrate Paul’s love of fun and adventure, his intelligence and strong work ethic, his creativity, sense of humor, generosity, and kind heart.
Preceded in death by his sister Carol and father James, Paul is survived by his mother Eileen, daughters Sarah and Julie, and his siblings, David, Peter, and Nancy.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to Walk-In Counseling Center of Minnesota, St. Stephen’s Human Services working to end homelessness, or Channel One Regional Food Bank, in memory of Paul. Services to celebrate Paul’s life will be organized once it’s safe to travel. If you would like to be notified regarding arrangements, please email pjursikmemorial@gmail.com.