Paul James Wakeford

Paul James Wakeford
September 13, 1946 - July 23, 2026

Paul James Wakeford, 79, died on Thursday, July 23, at UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill, NC. Paul’s death was unexpected and was due to a fall that resulted in traumatic brain damage. He died with all his closest family around him.

Born to Lawrence Wakeford, Sr. and Catharine Wakeford (nee Mangan) on September 13, 1946, Paul was raised in Jackson Heights, New York. He graduated from Msgr. McClancy Memorial High School and Fordham University. He was a conscientious objector during the Vietnam War and after graduation, served alternatively by working at the Boston Public Library. This experience led him to Emory University in Atlanta, where he earned a Master’s degree in Library Science. He returned to Boston and worked at two different libraries. In 1978, he moved to San Francisco and spent the next 29 years working as a medical librarian/medical library manager at the University of California, San Francisco. In 2007, he moved to Durham, NC, with his partner, Douglas Hatcher.

In Durham, a lifetime of interest in matters of the spirit led Paul to enroll in a program for spiritual direction, the FCJ Spiritual Direction Training Program. He refined skills that came naturally to him and used those skills to support and encourage those in distress, many of whom were people he encountered in everyday life.

Paul was preceded in death by his father, Lawrence Wakeford Sr., his mother, Catharine Wakeford (nee Mangan) and a sister, Kathleen. Paul’s survivors include his partner of 28 years, Douglas Hatcher, his brother, Larry Wakeford (and wife Peggy) of Burlington, NC, his niece, Katie Wakeford (and husband Gregg) of Durham, NC, his nephew, Mike Wakeford (and wife Leslie) of Winston-Salem, NC, his great nephew, Arthur Wakeford, and great niece, Evelyn Wakeford, a former sister-in-law, Mary Nolan Wakeford, as well as many cousins he held dearly.

Paul was noted for his kindness and generosity, his deep spiritual beliefs, and his random irreverent humor. He was a beloved partner, brother, uncle, cousin, and friend to many over the years. We will miss him greatly.

"To live with our hearts open. To shut it not in the dark but to turn it to the sun.” Hamnet (2025)