Paul F. Tunison Ii

Paul F. Tunison II of Trumansburg passed away at Cayuga Medical Center on Friday, April 26, 2024 at the age of 71.

Paul was born on April 17, 1953, the oldest child of Paul and Annabelle (Underwood) Tunison Sr. Paul grew up in Trumansburg, spending a good deal of his formative years at the farm with his beloved grandparents Clifford and Cleah Tunison. From his family, he learned of the importance of hard work, the ability to repair or build anything at all, a deep respect for the natural world, and above all, a sense of the importance of walking softly on the earth.  He graduated from Charles O. Dickerson High School in 1971 and from Albany State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology in 1976. Soon after graduating, he went to work at Southern Cayuga Lake Inter-Municipal Water Commission (Bolton Point) in the production department. He soon took on a leadership role as Production Manager, where he led Bolton Point in winning countless water quality competitions over the years. For many years, he taught courses for NYS Water Treatment certifications in various venues. Paul retired from the Commission in 2011 after 35 years of dedicated service and excellent leadership. At the time of his retirement, he held the position of General Manager.

Paul met his wife Kathryn (Kathy) in 1979 and they started life together. They built their home in 1986 and were married there in 1987. They were blessed to have had their daughter’s family living right nearby. Paul adored the three grandkids, and they added a light like no other to his life.  Paul and Kathy’s life was not a story-book existence. Like most people’s, it was full of ups and downs and joys and sometimes deep sufferings. But in the end, they had the good fortune to grow together into the old married couple they had always imagined they would become. Their last three years together, in particular, were a gift that neither of them expected.

Paul was both a “salt of the earth” guy and a complicated and deep-thinking man. He was known to be quiet and introspective with no need to stand out. He carried a perception of himself as “a little weird” and he rather prided himself on that. As a kid, he didn’t fit neatly into any of the typical high school niches, and he tended to follow the beat of his own drummer. He was a lover of science, and he was in awe of the cosmos and its magnificence, including a fascination with quantum physics and with the origins and evolution of humans on earth. He loved nature in all its mysteries and wonders, and he was worried about the gross exploitation of the planet, sometimes commenting that the earth would recover but the humans, not so much.

There is so much to say about this lovely quiet man, but his story would not be complete without a comment about the point of joy that was Paul and his brother Leon working together nearly every weekend over the last couple of years of his life to restore their great-grandfather’s 1934 Ford. It was a labor of love for them that brought them closer. When Paul became ill, work had to stop. Perhaps one day the old ‘34 will get driven down Tucker Road, and that will make Paul smile.

May you be soaring among the stars dear one, for you are made from star stuff.

Paul is survived by his wife, Kathryn Tunison; step daughter, Bethany (Darren) McGee; grandchildren, Charlene Switzer, Darren McGee II, and Ryan McGee; siblings, Elena Welch, Leon (Patricia) Tunison, and Jeffrey (Rose) Brainard; and siblings-in-law, Connie (Jerry) Evans, Judith Meade, Jack (Nancy) Banfield, Jill Holub, Kathleen Haff, Terry (Sharon Opeila) Banfield, and Barry (Tara) Banfield.  In addition to his parents, Paul was preceded in death by his grandparents, Clifford and Cleah Tunison; sister, Amy (Cosmo) Cusimano; brother, Hayden Brainard; brother in law, Steve Welch; in laws, Lawrence and Charlene Banfield; and siblings-in-law, James (Peggy) Banfield, Sandra (R. Bruce) Myers, Lawrence Banfield; Melvin Holub, and Carl Haff.

A Memorial Service will be held at 1:00pm on Friday, May 3, 2024 at Ness-Sibley Funeral Home, 23 South Street, Trumansburg. The family asks those that would like to make a contribution in Paul’s memory to kindly consider the Cancer Resource Center of the Finger Lakes.