A gentle giant of a coach and administrator of youth sports in Southampton, Massachusetts for much of the 1980s and 1990s and an amateur naturalist during his summers in Vinalhaven, Maine, Paul William Dempsey, 71, of Southampton, died suddenly at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston on April 25th.

He was born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1953 to Philip and Eileen Dempsey, and moved shortly after to Park Forest, Illinois, where he spent his childhood. Paul grew up surrounded by his extended family, most notably his uncle and lifelong best friend, Robert McCarthy. Paul and his immediate family moved to Sudbury, Massachusetts in 1969 but he remained devoted to his family in Illinois. He attended Lincoln-Sudbury High School before studying zoology at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. While at UMass, Paul met the love of his life, Sara, and the two settled in Western Massachusetts for the next 50 years of his life.

Paul and Sara married in 1977 in Sara’s hometown of Danvers, Massachusetts and eventually purchased land in Southampton where they began to build their dream home. Paul found employment as a chemist at the Easthampton Dye Works and eventually rose to the role of executive vice president, working alongside owner and mentor Joseph Maziarz for decades.

Paul and Sara soon started a family of their own, welcoming sons, Liam in 1982 and Patrick in 1986. Paul was a devoted father and logged countless hours coaching them in all sports but he was happiest spending time with Sara and his sons at their home or in Vinalhaven, Maine where the family spent their summers. An extremely clever and intelligent man, Paul nonetheless delighted in sharing terrible jokes with Sara and his kids. He considered their eye rolls and groans to be the mark of the perfect joke.

Paul was a doting father-in-law to Liam’s wife, Mary Kate and to Patrick’s wife, Kara. He became a grandfather in 2013 with the birth of Liam’s and Mary Kate’s son, William. Liam and Mary Kate later welcomed daughter Beatrice in 2019 and Patrick and Kara welcomed daughter Riley in 2025. Paul was a devoted “Papa” who was at his happiest when spending time with his grandchildren.  

A jack of all trades, Paul enjoyed crafting, cooking, and art. While it would be an understatement to say that he left more projects unfinished than finished, his family will cherish the items he created for them. He was also a voracious reader and collector of books, particularly in the fields of science and nature. The image of Paul laying on his bed in Vinalhaven with a stack of books and the ocean breeze gently passing through the room will be one that Sara and his sons will treasure.

Paul was preceded in death by his father, Philip and his beloved grandparents, James and Beatrice Dempsey and Robert and Nina McCarthy. He is survived by his wife of 48 years, Sara Sherry, his sons, Liam and Patrick, their wives, Mary Kate and Kara, his mother, Eileen, and his three grandchildren, William, Beatrice, and Riley. He also leaves behind three sisters, three sisters-in-law, and a legion of nieces and nephews.

Calling hours will be held on Saturday, May 10, 2025, from 2:00 to 5:00 pm at the Barry J. Farrell Funeral Home in Holyoke, Massachusetts. A MEMORIAL SERVICE/CELEBRATION OF LIFE will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations to Generation Lyme in Paul’s honor would be greatly appreciated.