Paul Erik Jorgensen

Paul Erik Jorgensen was born in Fredericia, Denmark on March 25, 1944 bringing light to his parents in a dark time near the end of World War II. His parents, Ulla and Erik Jorgensen, immigrated to the United States in 1947 with their 3-year-old son, Paul. Living first in Wisconsin where Marilynn was born in 1950 and then Kenny in 1955 completed the family. A family vacation to California in 1957 exposed the Jorgensen family to an environment that stimulated them to advance their dreams! The Jorgensen family of 5 found joy in Santa Barbara and many members have remained in this lovely community.

Paul graduated from San Marcos High School in 1962 and after a series of endeavors found his passion in the field of Oceaneering and Marine Sciences, becoming the first graduating class in the program developed at Santa Barbara City College. He brought his natural inclination of engineering to building & maintaining deep sea equipment, specializing in the diving bell. In the course of his career, he traveled across the United States, Canada and on to Borneo. He returned to take on the Shasta Dam project in order to create an environment to support the survival of the salmon population. His expertise was sought in the diving world from oil wells to salmon! In his later years he supervised his crews with great attention to their safety and success of the assignment.

Paul’s parents died in December of 2017 at Valle Verde. He is survived by his wife, Marilyn of 44 years. They lived in Palo Cedro, California and enjoyed boating, fishing and caring for their canine companions. Paul is also survived by his daughter Natasha Sill, her Mother Lene Shutt and grandchildren Gabrielle and Jacob Sill. His extended family includes in laws through marriage and many wonderful nephews, nieces and their families who we honor.

Family will gather in the Spring of 2023 to honor Paul’s life.