Called home to be with his Lord and Savior on September 9, 2019. Loving husband of Cynthia (nee Plevak). Proceeded in death by his parents, Mary and Martin Fusek and sister Bonnie Ann Fusek. Survived by one other sister Christine (James Balister) . Uncle of David (Christina) Balister and Diana Dubrow. Great uncle of Alex Balister and Joshua and Alyssa Dubrow. Further survived by other relatives and friends. Visitation will be at Good Shepherd Catholic Church, N88 W17658 Christman Road, Menomonee Falls, WI on September 16, 2019 from 10am to 11am followed by a Christian memorial service at 11am. A light lunch will be served in the church hall after the service. Internment at Wisconsin Memorial Park will be private. In lieu of flowers, donations to the family would be appreciated to begin a scholarship fund for students exhibiting exceptional skill in art or music. Donations to Aurora Home Care and Hospice or the Zilber Family Hospice in Paul’s name would also be welcome.

Paul began work as a newspaper boy delivering the daily paper to over one hundred customers. He also worked at Woolworth’s Drug Store on Mitchell Street as a bus boy. After high school graduation he moved on to retail sales working in several hardware stores. He was an assistant manager of Coast to Coast Hardware in West Allis Wisconsin, a member of the sales staff at a True Value Hardware establishment and a inventory control specialist at Century Hardware. He completed his career in retail sales at A. Fillinger, Inc. As a young man, Paul was also a volunteer firefighter for the Richfield Fire Department.

Paul’s great passion throughout life was art. His art skill was first noted by his elementary art teacher. After graduating from high school, Paul attended classes at the old Layton School of Art and he also took classes in commercial art at Milwaukee Area Technical College. He created art sporadically while supporting his family during his working years but began to paint in earnest after he retired. It was his great joy to use his art talent to reach out to others. His artwork depicted his love of nature as well as his fascination with all modes of transportation. As time progressed, he was very interested in creating paintings of trains. This opened up a new avenue for him and he became an avid model railroad enthusiast who loved being around anyone who shared this common interest.

Paul was an amazing man who loved God, his wife and his family. Paul’s humility, gentleness and kindness were hallmarks of his character as well as his quiet strength, courage and shear determination. He was honest and trustworthy. He was always willing to forgive. When disagreements would occur and apologies made he would always say “Don’t worry about it. It’s over. Let’s move on.” He believed that everyone has a purpose and that we all have a responsibility to make this world a better place. Everything he had was a gift from God and he treasured and protected it. He found immense pleasure in working around his home. He loved feeding the birds and taking long walks with his dogs to enjoy creation. Every sunrise and sunset was savored. Nature was his cathedral. He said that he felt closer to God surrounded by trees and wildlife than in a brick building surrounded by stained glass. Paul’s strength and courage will always be remembered as he fought a long and valiant battle with cancer. He continued to create art as long as he was able. Even as his disease progressed his mantra was “God placed me here on earth for a purpose and I need to use this day and make it worthwhile. If I only do one small thing, at least I used my time wisely and well.” He often said that he needed another lifetime to create because he had so many more ideas and projects to accomplish. Many thanks to his palliative care specialist, Dr. William Mattheaus, his home hospice team from Aurora Home Care and Hospice and the staff of Zilber Family Hospice for their kind and compassionate care during his final days.