A. Paul Desmarais

A. Paul Desmarais - A Life Remembered

A. Paul Desmarais died July 18, 2025, in Florida, where he had lived in Spring Hill since 1978 with his loving wife Susanne Lizio Desmarais on Hunters Lake. He was 88.

Paul was born in 1936 in Lowell, MA, to Cea Leboeuf Desmarais (b. Quebec, Canada) and Albert Desmarais (b. Lowell, MA), speaking French at home and in school until attending college in Boston.  He spent his formative years at a Catholic boarding school and graduated from Keith Academy. 

Paul studied music and engineering at Merrimack College before joining the Navy in 1957.  As a sailor in peacetime, Paul was a structural draftsman, Petty Officer 2nd Class.  He was stationed in the Bahamas, Puerto Rico, and Morocco where he was a member of the Hot Five Jazz ensemble.  After his tenure in the Navy, he returned to college to study civil engineering.

Paul started working at 10yrs old during the New England summers in a hotel laundry, he worked as a plumber's assistant in middle school, met his wife while working as a broiler chef in Lemay’s restaurant, Hampton Beach.  He worked as a professional engineer until he retired from Southwest Florida Water Management District as a Regional Director.

Paul and Susanne were married in 1963 and moved to Puerto Rico shortly after where Paul became a research civil engineer for the Army Corps of Engineers.  Their first three children were born in San Juan.  In 1966, the young family relocated to Vicksburg, MS, then to Gulfport where they would have two more children. 

When the family moved to Spring Hill, Paul found one of the highest points of ground in Hernando County located on a freshwater lake three miles from the Gulf.  He was always a sailor at heart, enjoying proximity to the coast and sharing his love of water activities with all his children.  Every fishing trip was a good one, and the beach was a favorite place.

An elaborate workbench crafted over the years was emblematic of Paul’s industriousness and ingenuity.  He built things around the house, science fair projects with the children, and projects across the county.  Paul founded the Band Boosters Paper Drive to support students in their musicianship by building community through recycling.  He was also a car enthusiast who enjoyed repairing and driving a collection of antique cars.

He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Susanne Lizio Desmarais (formerly of Haverhill, MA), his children Madeline Irwin, Peter Desmarais, Stephanie Georgiades, and Marianne Desmarais, and seven grandchildren.  He was predeceased by a son, Christopher Paul Desmarais, and was a faithful member of St. Theresa’s Catholic church.  He has been laid to rest at Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell.

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