February 11, 1937 – January 5, 2024

Pavel is survived by his wife of almost 61 years, Vera Fuchs, his daughter Petra Varney (husband Curtis Varney), son Robin Fuchs (wife Jennell Fuchs) and his seven grandchildren: Kayla Varney, Gregory Fuchs, Lukas Varney, Christopher Fuchs, Jack Varney, Nicholas Fuchs and Katelyn Fuchs.

Pavel was an incredibly hardworking, humble, kind and adventurous person with a great sense of humor. He was very loved and admired by his family and friends. He was born in Prague, Czechoslovakia on February 11, 1937 to Frantisek and Valerie Fuchs. He was an only child and sadly had a hard start to life in the Holocaust. He miraculously survived Terezin when the war ended in May 1945. He went on to live a happy life filled with love and optimism. In 1960, he met his wife, Vera, at the Czech Technical University in Prague, when she helped him with a final project before receiving his Masters in Engineering. They were married on January 22, 1963 in City Hall in Old Town Square, Prague. They welcomed their daughter, Petra, into the world on August 19, 1968. The following day on August 20, 1968, Russian tanks invaded Prague. In search for freedom, peace, and a better life, Pavel applied to the University of Washington and was accepted into the School of Engineering. In June 1969, he arrived in Seattle and four months later, Vera and Petra joined him. Just two days after they left Prague, the Czechoslovakia borders were locked down. Pavel completed his second Masters degree in Engineering and was a proud alumni of the University of Washington. In 1971, they welcomed their son, Robin, who was born in Seattle. Pavel had a long, successful structural engineering career and loved his job.

Pavel’s biggest pride and joy was his family. He loved Vera very much and they shared almost 63 years of love, adventure and happiness. His kindness, love, sense of humor, loyalty, work ethic, wisdom, resilience and optimism were a role model for all. He was SO proud of his seven grandchildren. He loved them endlessly and loved watching them in all their activities. He enjoyed being active, skiing, playing tennis, hiking, boating and traveling. Pavel and Vera designed and built their paradise on Hartstene Island, WA where he loved spending time on their boat (Czech Mate) with his grandchildren, family and friends. He had a passion for life and lived life to the fullest.

His family will miss him dearly, but know his influence and legacy will last forever. His favorite saying to his family was, “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do” and they will all remember to live by his humorous and wise advice.

Pavel will be honored at a Celebration of Life on Saturday, 1/20 at 1:00pm at the Mercer Island Events and Community Center.