Springfield Rotarian Paul Sears, 86, passed away peacefully Tuesday March 5th in the arms of his loving wife of over 60 years. Born on January 13, 1938 in Springfield, MA to Patrick James and Mary (Murphy) Sears, he was the youngest of five children.
He grew up in the Forest Park section of town, went to Holy Name Grammar School and graduated from Cathedral High School in 1955 and Providence College in 1959. He also received a Master's degree from Yale University.
Paul married Josephine Ryan in August 1963. They began their married life volunteering in the missions in the mountains of New Mexico with the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity. They remained there for two years before moving back home to Springfield with their first child.
He became the first manager of the Micah Corporation, a non-profit that encouraged home ownership before he founded Sears Real Estate in 1971 and ran the business for many years with his partners, Joe Albano and Ellie Dashevsky. Fifty-three years later, three sons, a daughter, and a son-in-law continue his legacy.
Paul served on the Springfield City Council from 1968 through 1976; he was President of the Council for three years. He held various leadership positions in the Rotary Club, the Forest Park Civic Association, Concerned Citizens of Springfield, the Everett Barney Trust, the Rental Housing Association of Greater Springfield, and the REALTOR® Association of Pioneer Valley. He was a William Pynchon Award winner in October 2017.
He was a lifelong parishioner of Holy Name parish and an active member of the Cursillo Movement of Western Mass. He also was involved in Pro-Life causes and helped found the local chapter of Birthright, a group that aimed to help unwed mothers. He devoted many hours to help raise funds for St. Michael's Academy.
Paul leaves his beloved wife, Josephine, as well as their six children: Josephine Rodriguez (Dan), of Springfield; Patrick Sears (Carolyn), of Springfield; Paul Sears (Kristin), of Carlsbad, CA; Kevin Sears (Molly), of Springfield; Brian Sears (Tanya), of Springfield; and Katie Tivnan (Peter), of Springfield.