Paul was born in Oberwart, Austria in 1933.  His mother died when he was 2 ½ years old, and he lived with various family members, including his Uncle and Aunt, Jenu and Julia (Lulu) Wurzburger, for many years.  When Paul was 10, he re-joined his father, Imre, and stepmother, Trudy, in Budapest.  Barely one more year passed before Imre and Trudy were taken away by the Germans and their Hungarian henchman, the Nyilasok.  He never saw them again.  Left alone at the age of 11, he fended for himself and eventually lived in a Jewish orphanage in Budapest until the Russians liberated them in January 1945.

Soon after the war ended, a family friend wrote Jenu and Lulu, who had emigrated to New York in 1939.  Miraculously, they had seen “the Fleischer boy” in Budapest.  Jenu and Lulu hired a private detective – who found Paul – then tried desperately to bring him to the United States – but to no avail.  Paul remained in the orphanage until 1948, when he was finally granted permission to enter Canada, immediately before the Russians closed the Hungarian border.

Finally, after more than 3 years, Paul immigrated to the United States to live with his Uncle and Aunt in Washington Heights in New York City.  They remained like parents to him, supporting him while he went to NYU, where he earned a PhD in Engineering Science in 1961.

In the late 1950’s, Paul met Barbara Herskovits at a party.  He fell in love with her at first sight, and they were married in 1961.  Paul and Barbara moved to New Jersey, where Paul began a job at Bell Labs focusing on the development of signal processing and the introduction of digital technology.  Paul remained at Bell Labs for most of his career, taking great pride in the contributions that he and his colleagues made. He has 10 patents under his name.

Paul was an avid puzzler and a fine bridge player.  During the 65 years of their marriage, Paul and Barbara were bridge partners and played frequently together. Paul loved classical music, particularly Brahms, who had “great emotional resonance”.  Keenly observant, Paul had a dry wit, though one had to listen carefully, or his insights and humor would pass you by.

Paul died on May 29, 2026, due to complications of Parkinsons. Besides his wife, he is survived by his three children, Michael, Laura (& partner Gary), Daniel (& wife Sarah); and five grandchildren, Jonah, Sophia, Benjamin Fisher (& wife Abigail), Terra Fleischer and Imre Rist.  He will be remembered as a loving husband, father, grandfather, dear friend, brilliant bridge player and scientist.

He will be missed by everyone who knew him.