On June 7, 2021 we lost a very special person – Paul E. Person. Also known as “Man” – Papa - Paulie- Paul Time – Son – Big Brother- Uncle. At the age of 63, Paul left behind his family and friends who will need a long time to process and accept we won’t be seeing him sitting on his “stump” with a smoke, libation and a twinkle in his eye.
Paul was born on October 3, 1957 and leaves behind his other half and side kick- Carol Ripolone Person and his beautiful and talented daughters, Samantha and her husband Nate Maclure of Hiram, Maine, and Katelynn and her sidekick, Sean Doolady of Scotland, CT. Paul is survived by his mother, Lillian, his brother Peter and his wife, Donna; his sister, Christine and her husband, Richard; sister-in-law, Jean Smith, Mary Ann Turner and her husband Ed, and brother-in-law Mark Ripolone and his wife, Denise along with numerous nieces and nephews. Paul was predeceased by his father, Fran Person.
His leaving was so unexpected it hurts our hearts. For those who knew Paul he was larger than life and his talents were as abundant as no other. If there was a job or something to fix or make – well Paul knew how to do it. It might have taken him a a bit but you knew once it was complete it was NOT going anywhere. He attended Eastern CT State University and received his Bachelors of Science degree. College work was a breeze, and that is where he met the love of his life, Carol Ripolone. By chance they sat next to each other in an economics class. Paul never cracked the book and took this class as an elective and Carol, who was a Marketing major, took it as a requirement. He smoked her on an exam and words flew (especially if you know Carol) and a romance blossomed! Paul and Carol were married for 38 years and lived in the North Windham, CT the whole time where they brought up their two great girls.
Paul was a mason aka as he liked to be called a “mud slinger” for many years. He went on to be the BEST home dad once Samantha was born in 1991 and continued until Katelynn went off to school. He was a “stay at home Papa” before that was cool and raised Samantha and Katelynn to be the most outstanding women you will ever meet. Besides giving his height to the girls, Paul, also delivered on all great father things from small to big and Papa always came to the rescue with a little “ chakalaka” a bit of “this and that” or a really bad fart joke. He loved his girls which also included Miss CC, who grew up as the third daughter in the Person home.
Once Katelynn, started school in 1999, Paul embarked on a new chapter when he became a culinary chef. He went back to Manchester Community College to get his culinary degree and worked at the Hartford Canoe Club in East Hartford for almost 20 years. Paul left the Canoe club recently and began really mastering his passion for turning a piece of wood into a work of art with his tables.
Paul was a big, tall, gentle, even “quirky”, fellow and a heart as big as all get out. If you got to meet Paul, you would not forget him. He wasn’t known for his speed but you came to appreciate his methodical demeanor especially if you needed something done.
There will be no calling hours, however, on Sunday, June 13, from 2pm to 4pm, his Girls would like to have those who want to come by to Paul’s workshop / garage to sit on a stump, maybe have one of his favorite drinks and say good bye to Paul Time . They do ask to respect their privacy since they are still trying to wrap their heads and hearts around things.
In lieu of flowers or such, donations can be made in Paul’s honor to the Windham Dog Pound at Willimantic Police Department – Attention: Animal Control, PO Box #5, Willimantic CT, 06226.
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