Paul E. Tardiff

Paul E. Tardiff died peacefully on November 30 after a valiant battle with Alzheimer’s. He was 76.

He was born in Salem, MA on August 28, 1946 to Luke and Georgianna (Branchaud) Tardiff. He was educated at Bishop Fenwick High School where he graduated in 1964 and was later inducted into their athletic hall of fame. After serving in the Naval Reserves, he met and married the love of his life, Beverly (Rideout) Tardiff in 1968. They enjoyed fifty three years of marriage together.

Filled with the entrepreneurial spirit, Paul walked away from his job at a printing company to go out on his own. Friends and family called him crazy to attempt to start his own business, but he decided to “defy” the odds and do it anyway. Paul and Beverly started Defiance Graphics in Rowley in 1971 and ran it successfully for nearly forty years.

In 1976, as a way to give back to the community, Paul became a lifelong Rotarian. He served as a president of the Ipswich Rotary Club and was a seven time Paul Harris Fellow. During his active years with Rotary, he constantly advocated for Polio Plus and women’s rights.

Paul and Beverly moved to Newburyport in the early seventies to start a family. He loved coaching his son’s baseball teams with the local Pioneer League and supporting his daughter’s love for figure skating at the Graf Rink.

Paul was a car enthusiast with a particular love for restoring old Corvettes. For many years, he was an active member of the North Shore Corvette Club and won many awards at various car shows around the Northeast. Paul cherished the lifelong friendships he made during those years in the club.

In 1998, Paul and Beverly moved to Danvers.  After twenty years there, they became residents of Beverly.

Paul is survived by his wife Beverly and their two children Brian (Melissa) Tardiff of Spring Hill, TN and Paula (Matt) Jones of Danvers and seven grandchildren – Justin (Olivia), Bradley, Kelsey, Ally and Sarah Tardiff of Spring Hill, TN and Ellie and Luke Jones of Danvers and a brother Ray (Sandy) Tardiff of Conway, SC. He was preceded in death by his parents Luke and Georgianna Tardiff and sister Constance (Sonny) Borowski.

Family was everything to Paul and his greatest joy in life came spending time with his grandchildren. He also loved so many nieces, nephews, in-laws and friends. To know him was to love him. He will be missed by everyone.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to The Kaplan House. (see info below). A celebration of life will be held at Mackey Funeral Home in Middleton on Thursday, December 8th from 3-6pm.

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