Paul Olexa

Paul Richard Olexa, passed away peacefully on July 30th, 2024 at the age of 64. He was born on January 2, 1960 in Detroit, Michigan to the late Francis John “Jack” and Ruth Olexa.

Paul is survived by his beloved children, Paul (Stephanie) Olexa and Allison (Andrew) Benner, and his cherished grandchildren, Francis and Archer Olexa. Brother to the late Michael and Jim Olexa. He also leaves behind his sister Ann (Gary) Shalla and sister -in- law, Louise Olexa, former wife Tammy Donaldson, and many beloved cousins, nieces, and nephews.

Raised in Detroit and St. Clair Shores, Michigan, Paul was a proud East Sider. He attended Austin Catholic Preparatory, graduating as the last class in 1978. Paul then continued his studies at John Carroll University in Cleveland Ohio. In his college years Paul was an active member of the Iota Chi Upsilon (IXY) fraternity, maintaining lifelong friendships with his fraternity brothers. He earned his undergraduate degree and MBA from the University of Detroit Mercy.

Paul dedicated his career to the automotive industry, working at ZF, an automotive supplier for 35 years. Started as an account representative eventually earning the position of Vice President of Powertrain, Sales and Marketing.

In his free time, he enjoyed staying active through fitness, playing pickleball, and adventuring in both mountain and road bicycling.  Paul was a car and motorcycle hobbyist. He really enjoyed planning and completing the BackCountry Discovery Routes (BDR), extreme off-road motorcycle riding routes. He completed 8 of the 13 BRDs, each spanning around 1,000 miles, with his riding buddies. These routes took him on adventures across Arizona, California, Colorado, Oregon, New Mexico, Wyoming, Pennsylvania, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and beyond.

A proud Northvillian, Paul was a lifelong resident of the community, calling Northville home for over 30 years. He was recognized as Northville Corporate Citizen of the year in 2005, for his volunteer efforts at Maybury Farm when the barn burned down and he helped with the barn replacement project.

Paul was extremely hard working, and an honest and caring man. His integrity was unmatched and admired by all. His garage was a true automobile pit stop. He spent many weekends in his garage working on cars, bicycles and motorcycles. Not only would he care for his vehicles but also the cars of friends and family members. He served as the go to guy in his community when anyone had questions on cars; whether it was advice on how to replace a part yourself, or a sounding board for what your next car purchase should be. He was always ready to help someone at the drop of a hat. Even during his intense chemo treatments he still managed to help some friends for hours one Saturday trying to fix their rusted trailer hitch. Paul never complained, had a work ethic that outshines most and was a true mentor and friend to many.  He will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved him.

A memorial service will be held on August 23 at Our Lady of Victory in Northville at 11:00 am. In lieu of flowers, Allison & Paul II request that donations be made to the John Carroll University Iota IXY Endowment fund in Paul's memory.

Instructions for those who wish to donate:

Give to JCU Link

https://advancement.jcu.edu/register/?id=dda71d26-cf28-2e1d-7be7-94df5b26c933

In the dropdown field "I wish to support", select The Iota Chi Upsilon (IXY) Alumni Scholarship Endowment.