Paul Wahrhaftig

Paul Wahrhaftig died on Wednesday, May 24th at the age of 85 in Wilmington, Ohio. He is deeply missed by his family: his wife, Scilla; his children and their spouses, Leah and Jorge, Matt and Shannon, Esther and Marc; his seven grandchildren, Bailey and Chase, Karlos, Maya, Alma, Tristan, Clio.  

Paul dedicated his life to creating a more just and peaceful world for future generations. Trained as a lawyer, Paul discovered a passion for Social Justice work upon traveling to Pageland, South Carolina, where he tutored black youth who were going to be integrated into white schools for the first time. His experiences there, and his conversations with a local pastor, Rev. Jay McManus, motivated him to continue this path. Upon moving to Pittsburgh, he worked on bail reform for AFSC (American Friends Service Committee). Realizing that there had to be a better way of handling conflicts, Paul embarked on a journey that would result in the founding of the Conflict Resolution Center, International.  A quiet man, Paul’s strength was in listening to and connecting people. Through this non-profit, Paul used networking to help the Conflict Resolution movement grow and to connect Conflict Resolvers throughout the world. 

Paul was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in 1998 and refused to let this disease define or restrict his life. He was an avid gardener, author, cyclist, volleyball player, pool enthusiast and musician. He was seldom seen without a harmonica on his person. 

Paul will be remembered at a Quaker Memorial service at Cape May in Wilmington on Thursday, June 1st at 3:00 pm and in Pittsburgh at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to Ohio Living Cape May, who cared for Paul during his final six months, or The Michael J. Fox Foundation.

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