Paul Anthony Bandong

Paul Anthony Bandong passed away January 7, 2018. As was his nature, he was giving advice and guidance to a relative when he was suddenly stricken. He passed not long after arriving at Inland Valley Medical Center.

Paul lived his last day as he had lived so many before, in the spirit of his favorite bible verse: Romans 12:1 "Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice." Paul loved God and walked in faith, trusting that God had a plan for his life. He had a gift for teaching and encouraging others and was willing to share those gifts with any and all. He had a servant's heart and he helped all in need. We are confident as God welcomed him home that he was greeted with Matthew 25:21 "well done good and faithful servant."

Paul was born in Fort Carson, Colorado, on April 21, 1956. He was the eldest son of Master Sgt. Isidro S. Bandong and Rosalia M. Bandong. Paul was raised in Salinas, California, along with one older sister, two younger sisters and brother. It was here where his story starts. Paul had a photographic memory which served him well in school. He was an exceptional student who regularly scored at the top of his class and challenged the status quo. In addition to academic excellence he was also an extraordinary athlete having played numerous sports growing up. After high school he continued his education at West Point where he competed for both the fencing and boxing teams. The latter of which saw him fighting his way to the New York Golden Gloves boxing tournament.

This time certainly had a profound impact on him, but it was Paul's life after the military that shaped him into the person so many now know and love.

Paul began serving in several churches in the Bay Area and in a very short time, he had become a leader in the Christian Church communities. He led several missions to Mexico where the groups would help build homes, and infrastructures in the Mexican communities. He loved to share stories about his work in Mexico and even just recently he recounted a story to a friend about the challenges of maneuvering a large bus filled with volunteers.

He also remained very active in sports where he served as a coach for youth football, boys' and girls' basketball and track and field programs.

Professionally he began his career in the semiconductor industry in Silicon Valley. In 1985 he was the President and CEO of the first commercial email company, cc:Mail. He also headed up three networking projects for Apple Computers and it was there where he met his wife, Tammy. Tammy worked for a technical recruiting company and Paul was researching candidates. 25 years later you could say he found the perfect candidate.

In August of 1992, Paul and Tammy were married in Los Gatos, California and in May of 1996 they were blessed with the birth of their son Paul "Anthony" Bandong II. While Anthony was in grade school, Paul and Tammy moved to Temecula.

From here he began his community involvement as a coach and mentor in youth sports. He was overjoyed to coach many of Anthony's teams and even when he wasn't coaching he would never miss a game or practice.

He always had a passion for writing and this led to Paul writing for a few different publications in the area before settling in with the Valley News. Although his role with the Valley News was "VP of Sales and Marketing," he was perhaps best known for being a leader in the community.

Those who worked with him know that it was rare to attend a community event and not see Paul. He truly loved attending any and all events and networking with all in attendance because it was not just a job to him, it was his passion.

Paul is survived by his wife, Tammy Callahan (Murrieta, CA), son Paul Anthony Bandong II (San Marcos, CA), mother, Rosalia Martinez Bandong (Murrieta, CA), sisters Milady d'Artenay (Encinitas, CA), Grace Bandong Riggs (Santa Barbara, CA), and Edna Cooper (Piedmont, CA), and brother Les J. Bandong (Los Angeles, CA). Paul is also survived by numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, aunts, uncles and in-laws. Paul was predeceased by his father, Isidro S. Bandong (Salinas, CA).

A Celebration of Life for Paul A. Bandong will be held on February 24, 2018 at 11 a.m. at Rancho Community Church, 31300 Rancho Community Way, Temecula, CA 92592.