Paul Lenk

Paul Lenk, 63, of Mount Airy left this Earth to join his heavenly Father on April 30, 2026. He passed away due to a heart attack while doing what he loved: listening to live music, spending time with his wife, his dog, and making one last music video. Paul is survived by his wife, Melissa Blackwell Lenk, and three sons, Justin (30), Garrett (26), and Anderson (23), and his dog, Tyson.

Paul was born in Manassas, VA, on December 14, 1962, to the late Joseph Lenk and the late Joe Carolina Lenk (Duncan). As one of 13 children (#7), Paul began his spiritual journey in a strict Catholic home. As an adult, Paul accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior in 1998 at Rolling Hills Baptist Church in Laurel, MD. Paul had the gift of discernment and as he professed his faith, never allowed himself to be a doormat or others to be bullied. Paul had a dry sense of humor, never took himself too seriously, and was a caring father, husband, brother, and uncle; any role he could have in making another life brighter, he gladly accepted with open arms.

Having lost his father at the age of nine, Paul had a heart for widows, struggling single mothers, homeless, and orphans- lending an extra vehicle, hosting many at his home, and giving of his time, talents, and treasures. Paul attended a variety of churches and denominations throughout his life- always exploring, questioning, and learning. In his later years, Paul and his family felt most comfortable at Church 3.0 in Westminster, MD, where the congregation consisted largely of the homeless and opportunities to serve physical and spiritual needs. Paul always looked to the verse, “The King will reply, ‘Truly I will tell you, ‘Whatever you do for the least of my brothers, you do for me.’’” Matthew 25:40.

Paul graduated from Osbourn High School in Manassas, VA, in 1981, playing a variety of sports, with football being his favorite. After graduation, Paul worked to support himself, attending night school, to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in MIS from Strayer University. He continued his education at Johns Hopkins University, earning a master’s degree in IT and Telecommunications.. Paul was a visionary, inventor, and lifetime learner. At the age of 20, prior to the advent of the internet, Paul created and later sold a modern based dial-up dating service similar to “match.com”. At 30, he designed, developed, and proposed an internet-based grocery delivery service at his JHU capstone project that was realized a year later. Later, at the age of 40, he conceptualized and prototyped a task-rabbit-like service. Throughout his career, Paul never specialized in any one aspect of IT because he was interested in every IT specialty.

As a lifetime learner, Paul learned to fly, earning his pilot’s license and becoming a plane owner (1/5th). He acted as a general contractor, passed tests in plumbing and electrical services, and built additions onto his house on Main Street. He proudly owned an ‘87 Porsche 911, which he loved to fix up as a hobby and taught himself how to race. He enrolled in a Hawaiian surf school, learning to longboard surf, among other things. Paul’s interests were vast, including global financial markets, stock trading and investing, vegetable gardening, aquaponics, gadgets, microprocessors, and travelling. Paul lived a full life, sometimes taking months off in-between jobs, as he went dog-sledding in Sweden; deep sea diving in Bahamas; experienced Oktoberfest in Munich; attended the Olympics in Atlanta; rode the S-Baun and U-Baun in Germany; ate pasta in Italy; bought crystal in Prague; kayaked in Alaska; dirt biked in West Virginia; motor-homed across the East Coast; and went sky-diving in Baltimore with his sons, Justin Garrett, just to name a few.

Paul married the ‘beauty of his youth’, Melissa, in 1988 and settled in Mount Airy, MD, in 1999. This is where they raised their family and made many friendships throughout his community and church. Paul was a member of Bocce, won two medals in the Senior Olympics, and traveled to the French Riviera and Mexico. In Mexico, he had a full circle moment where Paul was able to teach and to be taught, as he helped teach children in the villages he visited and learned about their language and culture.

Paul was preceded in death by his brothers Peter Lenk, Joseph Lenk II, and Stuart Lenk. He is survived by eight siblings: Mary Ayvers (Dan), Cecelia Fancey, Therese Lenk (Bradley), Anne Platia (Steve), Helena Lenk, Sophia Lenk-Bigley (John), Monica Lenk, David Lenk (Susanne), and Christina Morales (Stephen). Paul was always a proud uncle and is survived by seven nephews and eight nieces, as well many cousins.

The family will receive friends from 9:30 am to 10:30 am on Wednesday, May 6, 2026 at Stauffer Funeral Homes, P.A. (Mt. Airy), 8 East Ridgeville in Mt. Airy, MD.

A celebration of Paul's life journey will take place at 11:00 am on Wednesday, May 6, 2026, at Church 3.0, 65 E. Main St., Westminster, MD 21157. Interment will be at 1 pm at Pine Grove Cemetery in Mount Airy, MD.

In 2020, Paul battled with MDS Myelodysplastic Syndrome- a rare blood cancer that affected not only his bone marrow, but his heart, lungs, and other vital organs. He fought with the remaining symptoms well beyond this remission. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in the form of obtaining a free DNA swab kit at the BeTheMatch.org and registering as a life-saving bone marrow donor or contributing to the WaterBoyz for Jesus organization at waterboyz.org/donate.