Paul David Tompkins
Obituary
Paul David Tompkins passed away suddenly February 4, 2022 while on a scuba diving trip in British Columbia. Paul was just two days short of celebrating what would have been his 52nd birthday. Son of the late David Field Tompkins and Mimi Tompkins, Paul was born in Norwalk, CT on February 6, 1970. The family moved to the Chicago suburbs in 1971 and later relocated to California.
Paul was a graduate of Homestead School, Mill Valley Middle School and Tamalpais High School. Upon graduation from high school, Paul went on to earn a B.S. in Aeronautics and Astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology 1992, a M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University 1997 (during academic leave from Hughes Space and Communications) and a M.S, and PhD in Robotics from Carnegie Mellon University 2005.
Paul's love of space exploration led to a stellar career which included employment at Hughes Space and Communications 1992-1998, Stinger Ghaffarian Technologies (NASA AMES) 2005-2010, SpaceX 2010-2019 and Blue Origin 2020-2022. Paul achieved academic and professional excellence and was consistently recognized and awarded for his intellectual contributions and innovative problem-solving skills. He was a devoted, beloved and respected colleague and friend to those who knew him. He gave everything he had to ensure the success of every mission and project at hand. Paul aspired to become an astronaut.
In addition to his love of space, Paul enjoyed music and played drums with friends in high school. After all the years since, he remained steadfast friends with his fellow musicians. More recently he was known to "drum" on a pad on his desk during remote business meetings while keeping his phone muted, never missing a beat. The music lived on.
Paul was an avid mountain climber. His feats include summiting Mt. Rainier, Denali, Mt. Robson BC, Volcan Cotopaxi Ecuador and Cholatse Nepal. He was a member of Altitude Junkies and The Mountaineers, Seattle Branch. Climbing friends became his extended family.
Paul earned a private pilot helicopter license in 2018 and had begun a fixed wing training course before COVID put his plans on hold. His goal was to pilot seaplanes in Seattle. His love of aviation was inspired by his father who spent his career as a United Airlines pilot.
Upon moving to the Seattle area in 2020, Paul discovered a passion for scuba diving and pursued it with the same energy and joy with which he tackled other interests. He was a member of Global Underwater Explorers and had completed over 100 dives. Dive buddies also became part of his extended family.
Paul was preceded in death by his father, David Field Tompkins and half brother David Field Tompkins Jr. , He leaves behind a proud but heartbroken mother Mimi Tompkins of Petaluma, half sisters Dana Nathanson (Steve) and Leslie Leis; uncles Dennis Tripple, Roy Tripple and aunt Linda Tripple; cousins Andy McDavid, Janelle Denny (Jay) and Steve Tripple (Colleen). In addition, Paul leaves behind a legacy of a life lived with passion, humor and grace. Countless friends and colleagues have expressed their joy in having known him. He will be greatly missed.
Suggestions for donations made in Paul's name are the World Wildlife Fund, Clean Ocean Foundation or something of your choice which supports life on Earth.
Published in North Bay Bohemian · March 13, 2022