Paul Demitro Pushkar passed away February 12, 2026, at age 89. Paul was born on December 14, 1936, to William and Mary Pushkar in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
He attended Isaac Newton High School, where he was awarded as Governor General Medalist of his graduating class. He was one of the ace basketball players on Isaac Newton’s winning team in 1954-55, which captured Manitoba’s Championship.
His geology career began at the University of Manitoba, where he earned a BSc Honors, (Geology) degree and scholarships. He worked summers as a logger in British Columbia, then as mine geologist in Manitouwadge, Ontario.
He met his future wife, Halia (nee Helen Dyryk) in inorganic chemistry class at the U of Manitoba. They were married in 1960 and moved to La Jolla, CA, where he earned a PhD at the University of California at San Diego, while Halia worked mass spectrometer at Scripp’s Institute of Oceanography and researched folic acid at Scripp’s Clinic. Paul then researched, as Graduate Fellow at the University of Arizona, while Halia taught at Schweitzer School for the Gifted.
From 1968 to 1999, Paul was a professor at Wright State University in Fairborn, Ohio. He led many BULL MOOSE geologic expeditions, field work, mapping, visiting mines and geologic sites across USA, Canada and Mexico, as well as volcanic sampling in the Caribbean. His main research focus: Isotope Geochemistry.
Competing against students half his age, he won Wright State’s Handball Championships and participated in judo, baseball, spelunking in caves across USA and white water rafting in West Virginia. As an avid reader, he enjoyed reciting long epic poems, such as those by Robert Service.
In 1999, Paul and Halia retired, he as professor at Wright State U and she as a teacher in Kettering/Dayton areas, OH. They moved to Coos Bay/North Bend, OR, where they have enjoyed the west coast’s bay and ocean views and their beautiful garden. Paul became an enthusiastic contract bridge player, as well as world traveler, including safari in Africa and trek to Machu Picchu in Peru.
He will be remembered as scholar, athlete, humanitarian, scientist, and the best camp grub chef and story teller in the wilds of Montana, where he enjoyed observing picas, marmots and wild nature of Black Butte and the Gravelly Range and under light-unpolluted skies, star-gazing.
He will be remembered by his wife, Halia, as a good husband, their marriage of 65+ years and someone special, who encouraged her to learn and try new adventures.
He was predeceased by his parents, William and Mary Pushkar in Winnipeg and his sister, Dolores Gold, professor of psychology at Concordia University, in Montreal.
Paul and Halia ask, while you can, to please enjoy your world, your people, your surroundings, nature, beautiful sunsets and…
