Mr. Paul Patrick Thiergardt, 100, passed away from this world on November 11, 2021. He was born in Brooklyn, NY on October 2, 1921 to parents of German/Irish descent. He was orphaned at an early age and raised by his maternal grandmother in Syosset, NY.
Inducted into the Army in 1942, Paul served the final 3 years of WWII in France. He was awarded the Army Good Conduct Medal in 1944, and was honorably discharged in October 1945. With his GI bill, Paul attended Massachusetts Institute of Technology and upon graduation he joined Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation in 1952. Paul was employed as an aerospace engineer for 35 years, retiring in 1987. During his career with Grumman, Paul worked on F-14 Tomcat fihghter aircraft and traveled extensively as a specialist training instructor at the company's overseas plants. During the 1960's, Paul volunteered for the Syosset Fire Department, serving as president of North Shore Fire Council of Nassau County, NY.
Paul and his future wife Carmen met while taking ballroom dancing classes in the late 1980s - a passion shared throughout their 25 years of marriage, even with the assistance of a wheelchair at his centennial birthday celebration. Besides traveling on cruises with Carmen, his other passions included attending musical concerts, doing yardwork, tinkering with his 1954 MG GT Roadster Classic Convertible, and playing with his four grandchildren - to whom he was affectionately known as "Grandpa". A deeply spirtual man and a devoted catholic, Paul was a dedicated member of Church of the Ascnesion in Virginia Beach. Paul regularly arrived extra early on Sunday mornings for fellowship with the other parishioners - although he himself, by nature a very quiet man, most often preferred to listen and observe rather than actively engage in conversation. An avid reader, Paul was stimulated by the challenge of doing all the puzzles in the daily newspaper.
Unassuming, patient, and disciplined, Paul was above all a man of profound humility, kindness, and loyalty. As shakespeare wrote in Henry V: "Men of few words are the best men". Paul proved to be the best friend, husband, step-father, grandfather, and dance partner - "Bobo", Carmen's rock of love and support who she will cherish forever.