Judge Paul Marigonda

A memorial service to celebrate the life of Paul Mario Marigonda will take place at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 7, at Holy Cross Church in Santa Cruz.

He passed away Dec. 10 at home surrounded by his family and his beloved canine companion, Duke. He died 15 months after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

A first-generation American, Paul was the son of Laura and Cesare Marigonda of Trieste, Italy.

Italian was his first language; Paul was extremely proud of his Italian heritage. He spoke with his relatives in Italy on a daily basis.

Born in Oakland on May 9, 1960, he graduated from Skyline High School in 1978 and the University of California at Berkeley in 1982, where he studied political science, which became a lifelong passion. He was a proud Cal Bear and rarely missed a home football game.

He received his juris doctorate from Golden Gate University in 1986, then started his legal work at New and Kay in San Francisco. In 1989, he started a long career at the Santa Cruz County District Attorney’s Office, where many treasured lifelong friendships were born.

He felt he had more to give to his community and decided to run for a seat on the Scotts Valley City Council in 2000, serving as mayor in 2005. In 2006, he left the City Council when he was appointed to the Santa Cruz County Superior Court.

He was passionate about his work as a judge, presiding over many different types of cases including criminal, civil, probate, and family law.

He was an early champion of the collaborative courts, where he helped stabilize people with substance use disorders and mental illness. He served as presiding judge in 2014 and 2015.

Even when he was ill and undergoing treatment, he found the courage and the energy to hear cases whenever he could. Working with his Superior Court family was one of the biggest joys in his life.

In 2018, he accepted a nomination to serve on the executive board of the California Judges Association. During his three-year tenure, he was very active and served as vice president and chair of both board membership and CJP work groups. He found his efforts with this organization profoundly rewarding and a great deal of fun, and he gathered additional friendships and deep relationships along the way.

In 2021, he received one of his highest honors, the California Judges Association president’s award.

People knew Paul as an incredibly fun and warm person. He was so full of joy and had an incredible love of life. He was enthusiastic about everything presented to him. Paul never lacked supportive friends or wonderful relationships, and he was blessed to have these friends carry him through this challenging illness.

You often would hear Paul coming before you ever saw him with his loud voice and huge, booming laugh. He loved his daily walks, usually with his best friend Duke at his side.

Paul loved to travel, and he and his wife Margaret took many wonderful trips together to Europe and Mexico.

The highlight of his life was raising his two sons and enjoying his family. He was proud to say he never missed one of their sporting events and looked forward to attending all their activities.

He is survived by his wife of 31 years, Margaret (Baker), sons Peter and Patrick, daughter-in-law Brittney, and grandson Ryan. Rather than flowers, consider making a donation in Paul’s name to a charity of your choice.

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Paul Marigonda coached the Scotts Valley High School mock trial team.