Paul E Pakos

Paul “Skip” Pakos, U.S. Coast Guard veteran, Christmas tree farmer, corporate executive, entrepreneur, sailor, devoted father and husband, died at his home in Sudbury, MA on March 7, 2026 at the age of 88.

Paul will be remembered by the many people who knew and loved him for his big brain, his big heart, his commitment to family and friends, his industriousness, his tenacity, his sociability, his persuasiveness, and his love of a corny joke. Whether behind the helm of a Coast Guard cutter or racing sailboat, managing the finances of an organization, negotiating with farmers and truck drivers about Christmas tree deliveries, masterminding a five-family ski vacation, guiding his friends on hikes up Mount Washington, or creatively navigating complex state and federal bureaucracy to best support his disabled daughter Rachel, Paul was always reliably leading the charge. If you weren’t inclined to see things his way he often convinced you to change your opinion, sometimes leaving you exasperated but ultimately persuaded that he had a point. He was generous with his opinions and with his desire to create and share memorable adventures with family members and life-long friends.

Paul’s life was long and full, and it was full of life. He never found a problem he didn’t want to solve, and he always strove to make things better for the people he loved and for the world at large.

Paul Edward Pakos was born in a snowstorm on December 13, 1937 in Lackawanna, New York, to Paul F. and Stephania (Grudzien) Pakos. His father was a steelworker and his mother was a beautician, stenographer, and sales clerk. Shortly after Paul was born his father began calling him Skipper, later shortened to Skippy and Skip. The nickname foretold his 30 years in the U.S. Coast Guard and many additional years later in life spent racing sailboats.

At the urging of his uncle, a WWII veteran, Paul entered the Coast Guard Academy in 1955, barely meeting the weight requirement for admission. The Academy launched Paul into a life of rigor, discipline, challenge, adventure, and camaraderie. He spent years on ships, including in command roles, oversaw a remote navigation outpost in rural Japan, traveled the world working to establish the pre-GPS-era Loran C & D navigation systems for ships and airplanes, was the first U.S. Coast Guard participant in MIT’s Sloan Fellows Program, worked as the Coast Guard’s Budget Director in Washington, D.C., and for his final tour was assigned the duties of Commander of Coast Guard Group Boston based in Boston’s North End. Along the way he married his wife of 60 years, Pat, to whom he was fully devoted, and together they had three children: Matt, Katie, and Rachel. Paul retired from the Coast Guard in 1985 with the rank of Captain, grateful for his many Coast Guard experiences and looking forward to developing a second career as a civilian.

The Coast Guard supported Paul’s education beyond the Academy, a benefit that helped shape his career beyond the military. Over the years he earned three postgraduate degrees: a master’s degree in Electrical Engineering from MIT, and two master’s degrees in Management, the first from the University of Arkansas and the second from MIT’s Sloan School of Management. He was also a graduate of the National Defense University in Washington, D.C.

In 1986, shortly after establishing his own consulting company, Paul was persuaded to join a small information technology company based in Wakefield, MA, called Synetics. Synetics was a 15-person company when he joined it; over the following ten years Paul helped grow the company to 500 people. In 1994 he was named Chief Financial Officer and helped to open an office in London. In 1997 Paul and his wife, Pat, moved to the UK so Paul could help run the London office full-time. Two years later he took over management of Synetics UK, and subsequently became CEO of a new privately-held company called Internetix. For recreation during this period, Paul connected with a British sailing crew and participated in many sailing races across the English Channel to France.

In 2002 Paul retired from corporate life and he and Pat returned to the U.S. to begin their next chapter in the community at Spring House Pond in Sudbury, MA, where they enjoyed many deep friendships with their neighbors.

Paul’s parents had no other sons, they only had daughters. But for 70 years Paul had five brothers, his closest friends, most of whom he met at the Coast Guard Academy. They worked and played together through the years, jointly owning a Christmas tree farm in western New York, sharing a vacation home in the Outer Banks, chartering a sailboat to race Block Island Race Week over a 20-year period, skiing together during Christmas week in Vermont. The depth of their friendship has been remarkable, longstanding, and a model for others.

Paul is survived by his wife Patricia; his son Matthew; his two daughters Kathleen Rimer and Rachel Pakos; his daughter-in-law Yoshino Kitajima and son-in-law Ned Rimer; his two grandchildren Madeleine and Nicholas Rimer; his three sisters Patty Blatt, Carol Gietler, and Diane Wagner; and his sister-in-law Nancy Cronan.

His family is extremely grateful to the home health aides and hospice care staff who helped support Paul in his last months as his nearly 20-year battle with Parkinson’s Disease became more difficult. Their caring assistance considerably eased the past 14 months for Paul and his family.

Visitation will be held at Duckett Funeral Home of J.S. Waterman & Sons, 656 Boston Post Rd, Sudbury, MA, on Thursday, March 12, 2026, from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm. A Memorial Service will be held at St. Anselm Church, 100 Landham Rd, Sudbury, MA on Saturday, March 28th at 10:30 am.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial contributions be made in Paul’s name to The Arc of Massachusetts or the Parkinson’s Foundation.