Paul J. Marconi

Our beloved husband, father, brother and “Papa”, Paul Marconi, passed away
unexpectedly on April 3, 2019 at the age of 60 in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Paul is survived by his wife, Karen Marconi; step-children Melissa Tracy (John),
Benjamin Chacon (Carissa), Michelle Nelson (Christopher); siblings Diana Sheriff (Richard),
Kerry Vestal, Lorrie Vestal; grandchildren Meghan, Tafari, Rhyen, Presley, Dahlyn, Sophia,
and Alexander; mother in-law Frances Casias; and a host of in-laws, nephews and nieces.
Paul was born in Tucson, Arizona on March 16, 1959 to Frank Marconi and Sharon Davis
(Vestal). He spent most of his childhood moving around because his dad was in the
military. His family finally settled in southern California where he lived until moving to Utah
in 1984. He joined the Air Force in 1980 where he served as a Weapon Control System
Specialist and received an Honorable Discharge in 1986.
He met the love of his life Karen while working at Acme Electric. They were married on
October 2, 1987. He worked for Harman International as Director of Manufacturing for 23
years. In 2015, he left Harman to open his own company, Precise Powder Coatings.
Paul loved spending time with his grandkids and they all made him laugh in their own
individual way. Teaching them to ride bikes, roller skate or just to watch fireworks were
some of his favorite things to do with them. He would tease them and call them silly
names but he was proud of their accomplishments
First and foremost, Paul was a racer. He started riding motorcycles for fun in the desert
and eventually started competing locally in California. He moved up to racing cars when
he bought his first race car, a Ford Pinto!
Paul’s love of racing continued his whole life. He traveled up and down the Western
United States with Karen and a collection of friends and family as crew members. Thanks
to friends like Karl and Erika, Dave, Paul, and Russ and many others who helped him live
his dream. His step-children Melissa, Ben and Michelle were eager crew members even
when they were too young to be in the pits. Their support meant the world to him and he
thought of them as his own kids.
He raced in many different classes throughout his racing career. From motocross,
Super-Mini, Mini-Stock, Pro-4, Late Models, Sprints and his favorite and last class, Hornets
at Rocky Mountain Raceway. He had the time of his life sharing his ride with his grandson
Presley.
Our family would like to personally thank Dan McCoy and Guy Urry and their crews for
all the support and friendship they showed us at the races these last few years. They made
us feel like we were truly part of the racing community and more importantly they treated
us like family.
He is preceded in death by his father, Frank Marconi and his mother, Sharon Vestal.
Special thanks to the doctors, nurses and staff at the University of Utah Hospital for the
way they took care of Paul before and after his passing.
“Yeah Buddy, True Story . . .”
Every race, when Paul would pull out onto the track, Karen would come on the
radio and say “Yeah buddy” and he’d reply “True Story.” It was a radio check but mainly
their way of saying “I love you”.
Family and friends may gather Wednesday, April 17, 2019 from 6:00 – 7:00 PM at Memorial Redwood Mortuary, 6500 South Redwood Road, West Jordan, UT, 84123, with memorial services to follow at 7:00 PM.
Service Information

Memorial Service
April 17, 2019 at 7:00 PM
Memorial Redwood Mortuary and Cemetery, 6500 South Redwood Road, West Jordan, UT, 84123