Obituary

Elio Barroca Paiva

Elio Paiva died in his home on Saturday, April 30^th surrounded by his loved ones after a two-and-a-half-year battle with pancreatic cancer.  He was 59 years old.  Elio is survived by his wife of 33 years, Lena, his two children Amanda and Michael, daughter-in-law, Jennifer and his father Alberto who resides in Portugal. His mother Conceicao Barroca pre-deceased him in 2002.  He’s also survived by many other family and friends near and far.

He was born in Aveiro, Portugal, to parents Alberto Paiva and Conceicao Barroca.  They immigrated to the United States when Elio was 14 ½ and moved to Hayward, California.  He graduated from Hayward High School in 1981 and from Chabot College in 1985 with two AA degrees.

Elio worked in IT for over 20 years.  His last job was as a project manager for an IT company.  He was an extrovert and would talk to anyone he met.  He almost always left a lasting impression on people.  Elio loved soccer, especially European soccer.  His favorite Portuguese teams were Beira Mar, from his hometown of Aveiro, Porto and, of course, the Portuguese National Team. He was a soccer coach and a soccer referee when his kids were young. His greatest joy was his family – his wife, children and his father.  He was so proud of his daughter and son for everything they had already accomplished in life.  He and Lena moved to Southern California in November 2021 to be closer to Amanda and Michael as Elio’s illness progressed.  He wanted to make sure that Lena was near the kids once he was gone.  He was always thinking about his family.

When he was first diagnosed with pancreatic cancer stage 1B in October 2019, he had every intention of being one of the few to actually beat it.  He did for a short six months when he was in remission.  Once it returned, although he fought hard, it eventually won out.  We know that he is now in heaven in peace, surrounded by all the family members that went before him and without pain.

A memorial service will be held in Southern California on Friday, May 20.  The family will also be holding a Celebration of Elio’s Life in Northern California this summer. Date to be determined.

The family requests that, in lieu of flowers, you consider donating to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – www.pancan.org or the American Cancer Society – www.cancer.org in Elio’s memory.