Paul Victor Oliver

Paul Victor Oliver, of Palm Beach County, FL, Wayne, PA, and most recently of North Stonington, CT, passed away on April 4, 2024, after a brief illness. A dedicated husband, father, grandfather, and brother, Paul will be remembered for his unmatchable work ethic, his devoted loyalty to his family, his steady, calming presence, and for his colorful sense of humor. He put the people he loved above everything, and his passing leaves an unfillable hole in their hearts.

Paul was born on December 23, 1948, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where his father was field superintendent of the Major League Baseball team the Boston Braves. The family followed the Braves to Milwaukee and Paul, the third of four brothers, whom he loved dearly, grew up in Waukesha, WI, before the family moved to Florida in the early 1960s. Paul graduated from Riviera Beach High School in 1967. He served in the US Marine Corps from 1968 to 1973. Paul then worked for his father’s landscaping company, Zip Enterprises, and moonlighted as a chef in several restaurants until taking the job of head chef at the Lake Park restaurant Old Shuckers, a “real seafood place.” In 1976, he and his new wife, Nancy (nee Capp), bought the restaurant, and over the next decade it became a popular Florida haunt. After selling the restaurant Paul took a job at the Palm Beach Lincoln Mercury dealership. He distinguished himself as a salesman and manager, but it was there that he pioneered a digital inventory system, the first of its kind, that streamlined the inventory process. Paul’s knowledge of computer programming and IT were completely self-taught. In 1992 Paul moved to Pennsylvania, where he worked for Half a Car in Ardmore as IT Director. Over the next 28 years, Paul worked tirelessly to support his family at Half a Car, Privilege One, and later, Sleepy’s/Mattress Firm. In 2020, Paul and Nancy moved to North Stonington, CT, to be closer to their son’s family. He spent his too-brief retirement fishing with his son and grandson, making trips to the Florida Everglades and the Ten Thousand Islands, and restoring a comprehensive catalog of the paintings of his late brother, the artist Albert C. Oliver Jr.

Throughout his life and careers, Paul was insatiably curious about science and the future. He kept abreast of news about technology, space, genetics, and especially conservation of our planet. He was not absorbed in his own world; he saw the bigger picture, and always did what he could to help where help was needed. He was the embodiment of “show, don’t tell”; his honor and character were in his deeds, his steadfastness, and his kindness.

Paul was known for his legendary work ethic. No matter what task he undertook, he gave it 110%, whether it was cooking up a four-course dinner for 150 people, programming inventory systems for a myriad of family businesses, or working in the yard or on the house. Adults half his age would stop what they were doing to watch him work. He was also a man who knew how to find joy in his off-hours—he knew to “take the cannoli.” He loved to fish, water ski, and take a boat out—the Florida lifestyle personified. Paul loved to go fast. In this one last thing we wish he could have gone less fast, but there was just no slowing him down.

Paul is preceded in death by his parents, Helen (nee Saurman) and Albert Charles Oliver Sr., and his brother Albert Charles Oliver Jr. He is survived by Nancy, his beloved wife of 48 years; their son, Paul, daughter-in-law, Juliet, and grandson, Carlos; two brothers, Peter and John; brother-in-law Dennis Capp and his wife, Brenda; several nieces and nephews; and his irascible cat, Waylon.

According to Paul’s wishes, there will be no funeral.

Paul loved the ocean and especially loved the Florida Everglades and the 10,000 Islands. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to The Alliance for Florida’s National Parks: https://floridanationalparks.org/donate/