Paul Michael Szarejko

Paul Szarejko, 58, passed away at home on Friday, January 29, 2016. Paul was born in Bangor, Maine, son of Joseph Walter Szarejko and Barbara Duncan Szarejko. Both parents served in the U.S. Air Force. The family moved to Joseph?s home town of Herkimer in upstate New York following his military retirement in 1959. Paul graduated from Herkimer High School in 1975 and joined the Army in 1978. From basic training at Fort Dix, NJ, he progressed through successful completion of Ranger School, U. S. Airborne School, and the Special Forces Qualification Course (SFQC) and served in the 82nd Airborne Division stationed at Fort Bragg, NC. He was in one of the first units to be deployed to the Persian Gulf in Operation Desert Storm and returned to the US in April, 1991. He left the Army voluntarily, after 13 years of service, at the rank of Sergeant First Class (SFC). His next career was as a long-haul truck driver, starting with Schneider National and ending with Crete Carrier Corporation (CCC). He left Fayetteville, NC for Johnson City, TN in 1996 when he was driving for Easy Trucking Company (ETC), affiliated with CCC, in Knoxville. Paul drove all over the United States in all seasons and all weather, and especially loved driving across the country and out west. By 2006 he?d logged over one million miles of accident-free driving and remained accident free for his entire driving career. When he was home off the road he enjoyed shooting and reloading. He was a member of the Unaka Rod and Gun Club for several years. He had good friends across the country as well and enjoyed seeing them whenever he had the opportunity. His father preceded Paul in death. Survivors include his mother and five sisters, Teresa Pompilio and her husband Anthony in Soddy Daisy, TN; Celia Szarejko in Johnson City, TN; Carol Szarejko in Port Charlotte, FL; Mary Bergstraesser and her husband Steve in Warners, NY; and Deborah Szarejko in Rome, NY. Paul wanted no services and his family and friends respect his wishes.