E. Paul Litza Jr. Obituary (1935 - 2020)

On October 5, 2020, Edmond Paul Litza, Jr. joined his sweet wife who passed just 6 days prior. Although Paul had been on Hospice for some time, we believe he was holding on for Pat, who adored him and would have suffered greatly without her sweetheart. Paul was born on May 28, 1935 in Santa Rosa, California to Myrtle and Edmond Paul Litza, Sr. Paul and his older sister Barbara were raised by their mother and grandmother, as his father tragically died in 1936. Paul was a rambunctious child and by the age of 7 had accidentally started 3 different fires in his home. At that point he was marched to the fire department where the chief made him look at several pictures of burn victims. He never played with matches again. He went to Catholic schools until junior high where he excelled as an athlete. He broke high school records in both discus and football. He was also very artistic and won state fair competitions for his drafting work. He was an avid fisherman, and during the summers when he wasn't fishing he would either work at his uncles' ranch or travel to Myers Flat or Scotia to work in the mills. In college he majored in Industrial Arts, but at the age of 20 he landed a job at Pac Bell. His career at the phone company lasted 40+ years, starting as a lineman and ending as an engineer. His job took him from Santa Rosa to Napa to Orange County and finally to Arcata. He made many life-long friends there. Paul was told by his mother that if he wanted to get in good with girls he'd need to learn to dance. He learned, and it helped him get THE girl, Pat Aaron. They married in Santa Rosa in 1958 (were sealed in 1970 in the Los Angeles temple) and spent their honeymoon traveling to Fort Sill, Oklahoma where Paul was training in the military before setting off for Dachau, Germany with the army. He returned to his bride in 1960 and they started their family, having a daughter Stacy and son Chris. He was a wonderful, loving and attentive father and the home was always filled with laughter. People loved hanging out at the Litza home because Paul and Pat were so warm and welcoming and a lot of fun. Paul was the life of the party, always smiling and joking with everyone he came in contact with. No one appreciated his humor more than his 80 year old mother-in-law who lived with the Litzas for several years. As bishop, Paul would joke from the pulpit that he was glad she could make it to church because she had been pretty drunk at the strip club the night before, and she would laugh the loudest at the silly joke. She absolutely loved him. He truly lived a life of service, not only with his church callings, but in his every day actions. He was constantly helping those in need, and always with a smile. Pat was a member of Sweet Adelines, and in 1982 Paul went to one of her shows and was introduced to the Humboldt Harmonaires. Singing with them became his passion. He joined the quartet Mirth First and they traveled all over performing. He had the time of his life and made some of the best friendships he'd ever had. In 2017 he and Pat moved to Ogden, Utah due to the care they needed for their dementia. Just as in California, they were very popular in their community, always cheerful and loving. Paul leaves behind his daughter, Stacy (Scott) Parsons, son Chris (Susan), 6 grandchildren, 5 great grandchildren and dozens of nieces and nephews. Many thanks to the staff at Legacy House of Ogden who treated Dad and Mom like family. Thank you to Hospice for your loving care of Dad. Special thanks to Tammy from Hospice for your daily messages and care. You are angels on earth. There will be a viewing from 11:00 to 12:00 on Saturday, October 10th at Myers Mortuary in Ogden with a burial following at Ben Lomond Cemetery. In lieu of flowers please consider making a donation to the Alzheimer's Association. A memorial for Dad and Mom will be held in McKinleyville, California when it is safe to convene.