Obituaries

Paul Armand Wesberry of Bothell, Washington passed away on March 13, 2019 after a very short battle with pancreatic cancer.

Paul was born on June 17, 1969 in Atlanta, Georgia to James P. Wesberry, Jr. and Nydia Arminda Lastre Lerma of Victoria de las Tunas, Oriente Provice, Cuba. His parents divorced when he was four, after which Paul and his father became very close. Paul’s father remarried Lea Casteñeda of Quivilla, Huanuco Province, Peru.  They raised him with great love and care in Quito, Ecuador, Roswell, Georgia and Alexandria, Virginia.  Paul attended primary schools in Ecuador and Roswell, Georgia. He graduated from Park View High School in Sterling, Virginia. 

Paul’s passion for art in technology and media was fostered in his youth when his parents bought him a Radio Shack TRS 80 computer. Self-taught at digital graphics, Paul’s skills earned him respect in the field of video game development. He worked at Westwood Studios in Las Vegas before relocating to the Pacific Northwest to work at Humongous Entertainment, followed by Zipper Interactive and WarGaming.

Paul gained a professional reputation for his sharp mind and technical skills. He shared his passion and knowledge with coworkers, many of whom he would form lifelong friendships with. Paul’s entrepreneurial spirit led him to found his own creative studio, Spunray, which provided game, art, and animation services to customers in the entertainment industry. He also collaborated with several former coworkers and industry peers on numerous video game start-ups.

Paul met his wife Renée in 1991 and they shared an instant connection. They married in 1997 in Chantilly, Virginia. He was a devoted and loving husband of 22 years. Together they had many fun adventures and shared a passion for comfort food…with the exception of chicken and seafood, which he stubbornly avoided his whole life. He was known for the delicious biscuits he made from scratch. Paul had an understated sense of style, but did enjoy a good hat. Responding to his wife’s surprise at how handsome he looked in a new fedora, he replied with conviction, “Of course. I look good in all hats. I’m Cuban.”

 In 2018, Paul and Renee decided to add to their family and were blessed to became parents to daughter Shelby Sparrow Wesberry. From the moment Shelby came into this world, Paul was an amazing, attentive father who loved nothing more than doting on his baby girl.

Although Paul is no longer with us, he has moved on to create things in a different place. We will always have his work, his laugh, and his kindness to remember him by. We feel his love every day.

Paul is survived by his wife Renée Wesberry and daughter Shelby Wesberry, his brothers James P. Wesberry III of Valley, Alabama, Jonathan Jesse Wesberry of Claymont, Delaware and Perry Latimer Wesberry of Alexandria, Virginia and his sisters Elisa Marie Wesberry and Lillian Sue Wesberry of Atlanta, Georgia and Rubyli Nilda Wesberry Russell of Charleston, SC., as well as numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.

A celebration of Paul’s life will be held on June 15, 2019 at 3:00 p.m. at Woodinville Unitarian Universalist Church located at 19020 NE Woodinville Duvall Rd, Woodinville, WA 98077 (http://wuuc.org/). Reverend Diana Smith will be officiating. In lieu of flowers, donations in Paul’s name may be made to the Sky Foundation, Inc or Pancreatic Cancer Action Network.