Paul was born of American parents in a hospital operated by an American doctor in the town of La Cumbre, Colombia while his Father was working as an engineer at his family’s sugar plantation Manuelita, near Palmira. His father rode the 30-mile trip on horseback from Palmira to the hospital, guided by one of the plantation engineers, to be at his wife’s side at Paul’s birth, but unfortunately did not make it in time.

A year later, Paul’s family returned to the U.S. where he grew up in Westfield, NJ, attending Holy Trinity School. He then attended St. Benedict’s Preparatory School in Newark, NJ, where he participated in track and cross country receiving the President’s award for excellence in scholarship and athletics upon graduation in 1946.

Paul attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to study chemical engineering following his father and three uncles, who had trod the same path before him. He continued to participate in track and cross country at the varsity level. After graduation in 1951 with a M.S. degree, he went on to the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor to obtain a Ph.D., also in chemical engineering.

In 1955, Paul joined the Continental Oil Company (Conoco) which had just formed a petrochemical R&D group in Ponca City, Oklahoma. After eight years in process development work in the surfactant intermediates field where he was granted four U.S. Patents, he was assigned as a technical sales representative in Europe, providing technical and sales support to a joint venture alcohol plant in Germany. He also was responsible for coordinating research activities supported by Conoco at a number of European universities with the Conoco laboratory in Oklahoma. During this overseas assignment, he was based in Rotterdam and London.

While in Ponca City, Paul was very active in many community organizations including the Young Republicans and the Junior Chamber of Commerce, the latter of which he served as a state officer. He was also nominated by the group as a candidate for the Oklahoma Outstanding Young Man Award. He later moved to the New York City area where he joined Tenneco Chemicals, married his first wife, and raised his son and daughter. In 1984 he moved to Somerset, New Jersey and joined Huls America at their facility in Piscataway, NJ after they purchased some of Tenneco’s chemical business. He retired from Huls in 1993 as its senior vice president of engineering.

Paul then established a chemical consulting group specializing in merger and acquisition activities and the international sale of specialty chemicals. He served on the boards of several companies through the years. His longest board service was to Manuelita, his family’s Colombia based agro-industrial business for which he also provided technical support to their alcohol and biodiesel plants over a 23-year period.

He was a strong supporter of Catholic education having served on several Catholic elementary school boards. Paul also led his family to establish scholarships at St. Benedict’s Preparatory School in Newark, New Jersey and at Javeriana University in Cali, Colombia. He was member of St. Helen Catholic Church in Vero Beach, Florida after his relocation to Florida in 2019.

Paul was active in working with youth beginning as a summer camp counselor, then as a Boy Scout leader for his son’s troop in Saddle River, NJ, and continuing in several local community recreational programs.

Paul leaves behind his beloved wife Nancy (Vitale) of 32 years, two children Jennifer (George) Plamondon of New York, NY and Paul (Kinga Krisko) Lobo of Washington, DC, and five grandchildren (Tate, Luke, George, Elsa & Beatrix). He is also survived by two brothers Walter Lobo and Philip Lobo and a sister, Kathleen Magill. A third brother, John Lobo, predeceased him. His first marriage ended in divorce.

A visitation for Paul will be held Sunday, January 14, 2024 from 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM at Aycock Funeral Home, 6026 North US Highway 1, Fort Pierce, FL 34946. A funeral mass will occur Monday, January 15, 2024 from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM at St. Helen Catholic Church, 2000 20th St, Vero beach, FL 32960. A memorial service in the New Jersey area will be scheduled at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent in Paul’s name to St. Benedict’s Preparatory School in Newark, NJ: www. sbp.org/inmemory. Please contact is Sheila Plotnick at splotnick@sbp.org with questions about donations.

Paid Obituary