Paul Connell Vilandré, 83
Coeur d'Alene Press | UPDATED 7 months, 3 weeks AGO
Feb 14, 1942 — May 2, 2025
Paul Connell Vilandré, 83, of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, passed away peacefully May 2, 2025, at the Schneidmiller Hospice House.
Born on Feb. 14, 1942, in Baie-Comeau, Quebec, Canada, to Jean Moise and Emma Jean (nee Connell) Vilandré, Paul served as a sub-lieutenant in the Royal Canadian Navy before earning an accounting degree from Loyola College in Montreal and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Paul's 35-plus-year career in technology included leadership roles at IBM, Digital Equipment Corporation, Intel, Convergent Technologies, Oracle and several software start-ups, guiding IPOs and M&A. In 2004, he became chief financial officer of the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, Calif., and later served on its finance committee. He also led the Silicon Valley chapter of Financial Executives International and served as its western area vice president.
An avid fisherman and outdoorsman, Paul raised his family sharing adventures across California's lakes and ports. He was a lifelong rail enthusiast and often spent meals with loved ones watching trains and sharing stories about history, economics and life lessons. Paul was a dedicated reader who enjoyed the works of Tom Clancy and Clive Cussler. He was also a devoted art collector — a passion that would lead him to open a southwestern art gallery with his family.
Paul is survived by his beloved wife, Martha; his children, John Vilandré and Sarah Richards; and his grandchildren, Clinton Vilandré, Matthew Barrett, Jack Richards and Riley Richards. He was preceded in death by his daughter, Victoria Barrett, his sister, Suzanne Campbell, and his parents, Jean and Emma Vilandré.
In the words of his naval kin, "Paul has crossed the bar."
A celebration of life will take place at 11 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025, at St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, followed by a light lunch.
Vilandré