Paul Kuzmick

Paul Kuzmick, 88, of Livingston, passed away Monday, October 12, 2026.

Paul was born in Passaic, NJ in 1937 to Paul L. Kuzmick and Elsie E. Kuzmick. He graduated from Lafayette College in 1959 with a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering and direct research experience into the effects of small explosives on dormitory plumbing. Paul joined his father’s grinding wheel company, Pekay Abrasives, Inc. and made his career in the industry, eventually forming his own company, PLK International Co. As a young man, Paul contemplated a medical career and, although he chose a different educational path, maintained a keen amateur interest in medicine and related sciences.

Paul was intensely dedicated to his work, which took him to manufacturing plants from Verona, NJ to Brockville, Ontario; Salem, Illinois and São Paulo, Brazil. He devoted equal energy to his free-time activities, which ranged from piloting his single-engine Cessna 172 to scuba diving to photography, and especially to travels with his partner of 50 years, Ruth Nesbitt. Together, they spent countless happy hours in search of adventure and fine food and drink. No matter where Paul was working, his weekends were reserved for Ruth; snowstorms, traffic and mechanical failures were no obstacle to their time together. In his retirement, Paul also enjoyed taking to the skies as pilot or co-pilot with his flying friends.

A spellbinding storyteller with a great sense of humor, Paul mined his work and travel life for an endless library of tales that will long be remembered by all who were lucky enough to know him. Beneath a no-nonsense exterior, Paul had a gentle heart and deep love for those who were important to him—mixed in with a healthy dose of mischief. He especially enjoyed spoiling the young children of relatives and friends with big gifts that brought delight to the kids and occasionally consternation to their parents.

Paul was predeceased by his parents, his sister, Joyce G. Haley, and his beloved Ruth.

He is survived by a niece, Elizabeth Gibbs and her husband, Eliot Raymond, of Middletown, RI and their families in Massachusetts, and dear friends Rich and Sue Monahan and their family.

Visiting will be at the Dancy Funeral Home, 9 Smull Ave., Caldwell, NJ, on Saturday, October 24, from 2 to 4 pm, followed by a service at the funeral home. Entombment will be at the Gate of Heaven Cemetery, East Hanover, NJ, on Monday, October 26, at 10 am.