Paul Hawryluk

Paul M. Hawryluk, 50, of New York City died on Wednesday, December 16 of natural causes. Paul was born ten minutes before his twin sister Christa to Carla M. and Theodore Hawryluk.

Paul grew up in Bedford, NY and was graduated in 1988 from The Loomis Chafee School, where he was known for his biting wit, sophisticated humor, and hearty laugh. In 1992, Paul received a B.A. from Emory University, where he was a beloved member of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity, which he served as Social Chair, delighting many with his creativity, including his annual “smog, nog, and grog” party.

In 1995, he was graduated from Tulane University with a Master’s degree in Latin American Studies. Though he adored New Orleans, he made his home in New York. A quintessential New Yorker, he loved walking and exploring the city and sharing his off-the-beaten-path finds with friends and family. He worked for many years in the photography department of the Condé Nast Archive, and enjoyed this work immensely, and later at Bergen Interiors, a small design firm.

Paul’s friends and family remember him warmly as the life and vibrant color of every event – an inventor of fun. He was especially fond of Mardi Gras and Halloween, creating clever costumes that often, to his dismay, left lesser mortals stumped as to their meaning. Paul was a talented artist and writer. He loved creating witty personalized birthday cards for friends and family, which they cherish, and children’s books featuring a talking pug for himself and his friends to enjoy. Paul was well read and well informed and enjoyed sharing up-to-the-minute news. He expertly turned eloquent phrases and enlivened conversations with witty quotes from his heroines Katherine Hepburn, Lucille Ball, C.Z. Guest, or one of the Golden Girls. Paul loved to travel, and his most recent dream was to attend Carnival in Brazil.

Paul is survived by his loving mother, Carla M. Hawryluk of Bedford; by his dear sister Christa H. Collins (Jeff), his niece Phoebe and nephew Theo, whom he adored, all of Concord, MA. In addition to large circles of Emory and Tulane friends, he was cherished in Manhattan and on Fire Island by many, and the diaspora of those touched by his friendship and sense of fun extends from Berlin to Capetown to Hawaii and many places in between.