Paul Rhodes Cummings

January 26, 1956 - May 16, 2017

Paul passed away suddenly on May 16th at his home leaving his family and friends bereft and saddened, but remembering his eventful and joyous life.
Paul was born in Boston, Massachusetts on January 26, 1956 to John and Maycle Cummings. He was raised in Suffern, New York. He received his bachelor’s degree in economics at the University of Massachusetts and did graduate work at MIT in economics before graduating from Harvard with a master’s in computer science. During college, Paul worked as an organizer for the United Farmworkers during the time of the national grape boycott. He worked in California and central Florida where he helped promote worker’s rights and improve working conditions for farmworkers. During his work there, he met Ann Johnston, a co-organizer, who would become his wife and lifelong companion over the next 40 years. John Renfrew, 24, and Katy Marion, 16, are their two amazing children.
Paul was an innovative software engineer who worked during the primordial era of the Internet Revolution when the architecture of our current worldwide network was being put in place. He worked at the companies of CCA, Lotus, and IBM, where he was involved in numerous international projects. Paul won a Fulbright scholarship to work and teach in Ecuador, where he assisted in designing the first intranet system for the University of Azuay. In Italy, he participated in the development of software for AT&T that was crucial to the progress in cell phone telecommunications systems.
Paul was an avid and adventurous traveler. He traveled to over 35 countries, on five continents, to learn from and share with people from all parts of the world. He loved sports: he skied, played tennis, and played ping pong like a pro. He loved the shores of Lake Michigan, hiking in the mountains, and peaceful walks. Paul held strong convictions. He actively participated in many political campaigns, recently campaigning for Bernie Sanders. In the 1980 presidential campaign, he participated in background vetting of the democratic candidates for president. He avidly studied economic theory. He loved Boston where he lived for 30 years. Despite that, he was a lifelong New York Yankees fan. He loved jazz music. During the last two decades of his life, Paul battled the debilitating effects of Dystonia and Parkinson’s disease (as his father did before him) with courage and gusto for life. He never let Parkinson’s stop him from doing anything and continued to travel extensively until the day he died.
Paul and his family were deeply impacted by Parkinson's Disease. Nonetheless, Paul always lived his life trying to help other people. In keeping with his lifelong tradition of giving, we encourage donations to the Michael J Fox Foundation in honor of Paul to help fund Parkinson's research (link: fundraise.michaeljfox.org/PaulCummings).
Paul is survived by his wife, Ann; his son, John; his daughter, Katy; his mother, Maycle; his sister, Beth (Bob) Larose; Mother in law, Marion; Sisters in law Jenny (Kevin), Gail (Nick), Lucy (Billy); brother in law, David; along with 11 nieces and nephews, and 1 great nephew. He was preceded in death by his father, John Rhodes Cummings and father in law Jim Johnston. We, along with his many close friends, will miss him dearly.