Hilmar Paul Gudmundsson, a longtime Hermosa Beach resident and local lifeguard, passed away October 9. He is survived by his wife Marilyn Boisseau and his children Alexandra and Shaun.
Gudmundsson was born August 8, 1954 to Margret Jonasdottir and Thorsteinn Gudmundsson, in Winnipeg, Canada. The family settled in Hermosa 1956, starting Paul on the path to the waterman he would become.
A true South Bay local (his most disparaging remark was to call someone a “flatlander”), Paul went to elementary school at Valley Vista and Parras Middle School. He went to school with Boisseau in elementary school and again in high school. But he didn’t ask her out until he saw her walking on the beach while he was lifeguarding years later. They were married in 1979.
Paul’s participation in competitive swimming, water polo and LA County Junior Guards (back when kids tried out in the Redondo Harbor and only boys were allowed) led to him becoming an L.A. County Lifeguard in 1972.
His stories of competing at Intercrew and Taplin and tales of working the beach sparked both his children to also become L.A. County Lifeguards. They both loved working the beach next to him. He worked the beach this past summer, joined by his granddaughter Genevieve, who came to play in his foot bucket. Paul was a fast, dependable lifeguard who worked the Manhattan Beach pier for years, making tons of rescues and mentoring younger guards. He got his EMT certification through the lifeguards and would renew his certification every two years with his daughter.
Paul’s “real job” was as a pharmacist. He graduated from Mira Costa in 1972 and went to San Diego State before getting his degree in pharmacy in 1982 from Idaho State. Paul took off for Oahu, Hawaii, before continuing his education in Idaho. He went to surf big waves on the North Shore. Paul worked as a pharmacist at Daniel Freeman hospital in Marina del Rey for years before working for Perot and Dignity Health as an IT Specialist. Paul commuted from Hermosa Beach to Marina del Rey on his road bike for many years, keeping himself in shape all year long. Paul even rode home the night the Rodney King riots broke out in 1992.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the LA County Jr. Lifeguard Trust Fund.
