Mr. Anthony Paul Townsel, Sr. was born on November 20, 1953 in Jacksonville, FL
to the late Roy Townsel and Mrs. Beulah Jones Townsel.
As a child in Jacksonville, Paul was the younger of two siblings. He had a special
bond with his older sister, Mrs. Royetta Tunnage until her untimely death in 2020.
He attended Jean Ribault Senior High School, graduating in the Class of 1971,
where he was known as an outgoing person who had a love for music, which
showed during his time in the high school band.
After high school, he attended the Florida State College at Jacksonville where he
met Ms. Paula Rousseau. They dated for five years. After graduating from the
University of North Florida, they were married on July 2, 1977 and remained
married for 45 years. During their loving union, he was the best husband Paula
could ask for and always put her first. He truly was a gift from God. He was the
love of Paula's life and to their union, they were blessed with two children, Jamila
and Paul.
Because of his love for building up others and giving back to his community, he
took great pride in being a mentor to the students at William M. Raines Senior
High School. He also served as a Speaker for the Speakers Bureau for BellSouth
and was on the Board of Directors for the YMCA. As a loving father, he cherished
the moments spent with his children through traveling, coaching the basketball
team and being a Cub Scout leader.
Paul was a very smart man who had a long career in engineering. He worked at
BellSouth for 20 years then became a Consultant for NGA Human Resources,
Deutsche Bank and most recently, Baptist Hospital.
Paul not only loved his family and his job, but also loved the Lord. He was a
faithful member of Impact Church since 1998 where he spent some time serving
on the Media Ministry.
Writing was one of his passions. He was a blogger and wrote articles for Void
Magazine.

When he wasn't working, spending time with his family or serving in the church,
he spent a lot of his time listening to jazz music and other musical genres. He was
a lover of all things jazz. His favorite artists included Miles Davis. He also had a
strong passion for style. If you ever saw him, you knew he had a way with outfits.
He truly loved fashion and always dressed with class and style.
He was known among his family and friends as a down to earth person who had a
genuine love for others. Always willing to help anyone in need and would
sacrifice his time and resources for the sake of others.
He was preceeded in death by his faithful father, Roy Townsel and his mother,
Mrs. Beulah Townsel; his sister, Ms. Royetta Tunnage and her son, his nephew,
Michael "Mike" Tunnage.
He is survived by his loving wife of 45 years, Mrs. Paula Rousseau Townsel;
children, Ms. Jamila Townsel Perry and Anthony Paul Townsel, Jr.; grandchildren,
Olivia Perry and Cade Perry; sisters-in-law, Ms. Linda Rousseau Washington and
Mrs. Angela Cowart (Charles); nieces Mrs. Latoya Desamour (Wiclef), Ms. Ashely
Watkins and Ms. Leslie Watkins; nephew, Augustus Romer; cousins, Alphonso
Townsel (Loreine), Mrs. Jacquelyn Thompson (Marcus), Ms. Corliss Smith, Ms. Gail
Gains, Ms. Monique Gaines and Keith Bryant; best friend, Charles Stanberry
(Sharon); a number of nieces, nephews, cousins, other relatives and friends.