Obituary: Paul Hochsprung

Paul Donald Hochsprung, born Oct. 21, 1953, passed away at Carson Tahoe Hospital with his wife at his side on March 23, 2020, after a recent diagnosis of metastatic melanoma.

Paul was born in Chicago, Illinois, to Donald and Delores (Prechodnik) Hochsprung, where he attended Trinity Lutheran Elementary School (Roselle, Illinois) and graduated from Glenbard East High School (Lombard, Illinois) in 1971. Paul’s dad passed away unexpectedly in 1967 and his family relocated to Tucson in 1971. Paul graduated from the University of Arizona in 1979 with a BA in Sociology. He was very proud of the Wildcats.

Paul loved working out and hardly ever missed a day at the gym. He completed his Personal Fitness Trainer Certification in 2003. He loved to watch sports, especially college sports (football and basketball), and would talk sports with anyone who would listen to him. He was a fan of the Boston Red Sox, San Francisco Giants (happy wife makes for a happy life), Chicago Blackhawks, and of course the Arizona Wildcats. He also loved playing cards with his family (especially his mother-in-law, Jo, who died in 2017). He was definitely a sore loser! He was an avid pool player and played consistently with his close friend, Sol.

Paul began collecting Elvis memorabilia when he was 8 years old and had an extensive collection at the time of his death which will be sold at auction with the proceeds going to St. Jude’s Research Hospital in Memphis. Paul spent many hours on EBay (buying and selling) and if he wasn’t talking to you about sports, he was probably talking to you about Elvis or music.

Paul was an active member of Shepherd of the Sierra Lutheran Church where he had attended services for over 20 years and participated on many boards. I have fought the good race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day – and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. 2 Timothy 4:7-8

Paul retired from the Nevada Department of Corrections (NNCC) in 2010 where he had worked since 1991 as a Caseworker.

Paul is survived by his wife of nearly 20 years, Debbie; sister Beth Gagnon (Bob); niece, Amy Daniel; nephew, Justin (Jamie) Gagnon; great niece, Elena Caballero; aunts, Lynn Rich and Barbara Prechodnik; stepsons Jeremy and Eric Gyger; granddaughter, Kiera Gyger; and several cousins.

Paul was preceded in death by his parents and several aunts, uncles and cousins.

Due to the pandemic, a limited celebration of life was held at Shepherd of the Sierra on October 24, 2020.

The service can be viewed at https://facebook.com/SOTSLcc/live or through Shepherd of the Sierra’s website at sotsl.org (posts). A photo show can be viewed on YouTube (search for Paul Hochsprung).

If you wish to make a donation in Paul’s name, please donate (by check) to: St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, ATTN: Legal/Estates Department, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105 (mention Paul’s name)
Or
Online to: https://missionofchrist.org/melissakarges/ to donate to Melissa Karges (Mission of Christ Network currently serving in Ethiopia).