Posted on 02/22/2019
A resident of the Huntsville area since 1981, Paul Nelson Sonnenburg passed away peacefully Thursday, February 14, 2019 in Houston, Texas. Born September 7, 1928 in Baltimore, Maryland, "Nelson" as family and friends knew him, graduated from Baltimore Polytechnic Institute in 1947. Interested in the field of mechanical engineering, he joined the Navy to pursue his education. After scoring the highest on the entrance exam, he was accepted into the U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, graduating in 1953 with a Bachelor of Science degree, later receiving his wings as a Naval Aviator. He often spoke of the thrill of being catapulted off a naval carrier in his jet fighter, and the challenges of trying to land again on a carrier deck that was pitching fiercely on the high seas. His Navy career brought him to Corpus Christi, Texas where he met the lovely Mary Ann Shipp at church one Sunday. They were married on March 11, 1955. Resigning from the Navy after four years of active duty, he earned his master's degree from Southern Methodist University and his Ph.D. from the University of New Mexico. His engineering career would take the family from Ft. Worth, Texas to New Mexico, California, Illinois, and finally Huntsville, Alabama where he and Mary Ann settled for the next 37 years. After retiring from Physicon, Inc. in 1996, Nelson had the time to develop his talent as a watercolor artist. They loved every minute of life in Alabama, and in their log cabin in the woods near Gurley, they enjoyed their happiest and most peaceful years. Their friends from work, exercise classes, and Mayfair Church of Christ enriched their lives so much. After the passing of Mary Ann in February, 2018, he moved to Houston, Texas to be near their daughters. He is survived by two daughters, Lee Ann Tawse (Richard) and Carole Booker, both of Houston; and six grandchildren, Dustin Wright Deans, Steven Lee Booker (Marianne), Rachel Mary Anne Tawse, Craig Allen Booker, Fiona Catherine Tawse, and Callum William Tawse. He was preceded in death by his wife of 63 years, Mary Ann Shipp Sonnenburg, his parents Charles V. and Hilda E. Sonnenburg, and his son-in-law Donald L. Booker. Services will be held at Westbury Church of Christ in Houston, Texas. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be sent to the Wounded Warrior Project at woundedwarriorproject.org.
Published in The Huntsville Times on Feb. 22, 2019