Albert Paiewonsky, who died in August 2025 at 86, was a force to be reckoned with. Jack of many trades and master of all, Albert managed to keep his head down … often below the turquoise blue waves that rocked his boat along with this soul.
A little over a year and a half before his “transition” to another place, I spoke with him about the bay and arboretum that provided a vibrant background through his wind screen regularly when leaving his home on the eastern side of Peterborg Point. I was putting together a series on Magens Bay. There was no one more appropriate to discuss the precious sanctuary with than the man who rescued the officially designated “area of particular concern” from illegal infringement 25 years earlier when he was serving as the chairman of the Virgin Islands Coastal Zone Management Commission.
In 2000, he called the illegal actions of AT&T, which involved building an illegal breakwater on the western side of the point about a half mile from the white sandy beach, outrageous, stating, “For too long we have accepted that large corporations are allowed to do things like this and to pay for mitigation. They must be made to bring it back to where it is supposed to be, not just pay a fine and forget about it.”
And Albert saw to it that the giant telecommunications company removed the huge invasive structure that had been built under cover of darkness ”stone by stone,” as he promised me he would when I called him to bring the abomination to his attention. Sadly, his edict was not carried out before the illegal construction had permanently changed the shoreline of the Virgin Islands’ most precious resource.
During our (at the time, “not for attribution”) discussion 25 years later, he mused, “We must find a way to balance our tourism product with our natural wonder and sacred trust.”
Along with being a being a civil engineer, charter boat captain, pilot, avid scuba diver and fisherman, Albert was also a gifted entrepreneur.
As with every civic-minded, nature-loving, creative, commercial adventurer, Albert would often be found brainstorming with others of like minds about how to find that balance between commerce and conservation. One of his co-conspirators was Arnoldo Falcoff, founder of Patagon Dive Center on St. Thomas whom I was privileged to lunch with over an idea Falcoff had run by Albert for a way to control the invasive mega yachts dropping and dragging anchors in the bay and other fragile reef areas, while using his idea of GPS registration and tracking as a potential revenue-producing avenue for balancing the territory’s diminishing ecological treasures and budget.
Falcoff, who often captained Albert’s boat on trips with “many of his invitees,” said, along with always being well turned out in “perfectly ironed, slightly rolled up below the elbows dressy shirts,” Albert was also refined, which morphed into being a natural in the world of public relations, which greatly enhanced his business success.
Enter lifelong friend and Albert’s longtime business adventurer Paul Hoffman. It is safe to say the pair founded and/or fostered at least a dozen businesses at a time when the islands and particularly St. Thomas were burgeoning tourist destinations.
But Hoffman preferred to recollect Albert as a “remarkable” storyteller. He recalled many hysterically funny scenarios in which Albert brought everyone, from would-be developers to tight-knit dinner companions, to tears.
Hoffman spoke of folklore about great storytellers outliving death through the legacy of their tales, saying if that is true, “Albert will outlive all of us.”
Falcoff agreed, noting in a separate conversation, “No doubt Albert will have a couple of funny comments for his celebration of life.”
Activist and entrepreneur, LaVelle Cambell, who knew Albert “for donkey years,” recalled his friend as a “mentor.”
“When Albert talked, you listened.” Not only did Albert illuminate the path for Campbell, “he also helped my son by speaking of his path.”
Albert offered his experience with everything from how to dress, to how to follow a chosen road and deal with the “hustle of business,” Campbell said.
But more than anything, said Campell, “Albert always spoke about the importance of family.”
The family invites the community to join them for a celebration of Albert’s long and illustrative life from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Friday, March 6 at Sea Salt at Sapphire Beach. In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests that donations be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
