Gary “Paul” Hempstead, 68, of Centreville, VA, passed away peacefully with his family by his side on January 21, 2021 at Reston Hospital Center.

Paul was born to Jack and Dotty Hempstead in Alexandria, VA. After graduating from Fort Hunt High School, he attended Virginia Tech where he met his future wife, Barbara Aubrey. They have two boys, Joey and Nick.

He retired in 2015 as a Partner at IBM. His distinguished 40-year career also included leadership positions at General Electric and SAIC. Throughout his career he developed many friendships with colleagues who knew him over the years as a hard working family man. His job required the family to move to many locations including San Jose (CA), West Chester and Malvern (PA), and Northern Virginia.

The Hempsteads lived in 13 different houses with the boys attending many different schools. All of these travels brought the family closer together. Barbara's love of the beach convinced Paul to buy a second home in Rehoboth, Delaware. The beach house gave him much joy watching his six grandchildren, which include two sets of twins, spend endless hours in the pool. His sons were his pride and joy; they meant the world to him. His daughters-in-law gave him the daughters we never had.

Paul spent most of his retirement years in Centreville and Rehoboth boating and fishing, golfing with his sons, cheering for his Washington Redskins, driving his beloved white corvette, the occasional visit to the slot machines, binge watching Star Trek, and spoiling his grandchildren as much as possible.

Paul is predeceased by his parents. He is survived by his wife, Barbara; his two children, Joseph Paul and Nicholas Paul; daughters-in-law Jackie and Grace; and his six grandchildren, Alex, Kyle, Katie, Taylor, Chase, and Carter.

A small, private family service will be held in Delaware. He will be missed so much by his family and friends for his generosity, quick wit, and sense of humor.

Rest in Peace, Grandpa Paul. We love you! We will take care of mom!

In lieu of flowers and donations, please share your stories and fond memories by signing the guestbook at www.bakerpostfh.com.