OBITUARY
Richard Paul Paolone Sr.
7/28/1938 – 7/20/2025
Richard Paul Paolone Sr. passed peacefully Sunday, July 20, 2025, at home in
North Bellmore, New York, surrounded by his family. He was a beloved husband
of 65 years, a father of four, grandfather of six, and friend to many during his 86
years of life.
Rich was born on July 28, 1938, in the Bronx to Pancrizo and Marie Paolone
(née Hinck). In the 1950s, Rich enlisted as a United States Army paratrooper
stationed in Frankfurt, Germany, and afterward joined the Iron Workers Local
361. He was humble but had immense pride in his work, and always reminded
his family of two projects he was especially proud of: the Verrazzano Bridge and
the Unisphere for the 1964 World’s Fair. Rich went on to have a long career as a
construction manager at PSEG, working on projects across Long Island, where
he settled his growing family in the early ’60s. (He later wondered jokingly why
more than half of his grandchildren had ended up living in the city again after
he’d left.)
Above all, Rich cherished his home life and the time he shared with his family.
He was affectionately known by many names: Richie, Daddy, Grandpa, Grampy,
Mr. P, and, of course, Grouper — anointed by his daughters after a family trip to
Florida, where he ate almost nothing but the large white fish.
Rich loved being around water. He hosted yearly clambakes, and spent summers
captaining The Irene, the boat he named for his life’s co-captain and beloved wife
of nearly seven decades.
He took the family for days-long trips on that boat — to Fire Island, Watch Hill,
Block Island, and Zach’s Bay. Those trips eventually turned into summer weeks
spent in the Adirondacks on Lake George with all of his kids and grandkids. They
boated, fished, and climbed the endless flights of stairs from the beach back to
the house. They bet on horse races at both Saratoga Race Course and around
the pool table, with the grandchildren playing the horses in costume. He’d often
let slip to the kids where the hidden stash of vacation candy was — a testament
to not only how much he loved them but also the spectacular sweet tooth that he
passed on.
Rich was an avid golfer, and spent countless hours sharing the green with
friends, sons, sons-in-law, and grandsons, always wearing a hat from his large
collection — of courses he’d played, his dear New York Yankees, or the colleges
where he was so proud that his grandchildren ended up. He loved fixing things,
and often pulled tools from the metal shed he’d built using scraps from his myriad
ironworking jobs. He put up a swing for his grandchildren on the branch of his
backyard weeping willow. He loved tending to his gardens, listening to the birds
and showing the correct method of cutting back his flowers and bushes. He
turned a blind eye when the grandkids made a mess “swimming” in his hot tub,
and teased them by pulling on their toes.
Rich will be most fondly remembered on Christmas Eves with his family. He
carefully cleaned and stuffed his famous baked clams at the Paolones’
extravagant dinners before disappearing to become Santa, arriving with gifts for
the kids while everyone pretended grandpa wasn’t missing.
Rich is survived by his wife Irene; his children, Rich (Cheryl), Michael, Lori
(John), and Theresa (David); and his six grandchildren, Megan (Nicholas),
Catherine (Matthew), Philip (Palma), Emily, Taylor, and Sean.
Visitation hours for Rich will be on Thursday, July 24, from 2–4 p.m. and 7–9
p.m., at Bellmore Funeral Home (2340 Jerusalem Ave., Bellmore, New York,
11710). A funeral mass will be held on Friday, July 25, at 10 a.m. at the Church of
Saint Barnabas (2320 Bedford Ave., Bellmore, New York, 11710), followed by an
interment at St. Charles Cemetery in Farmingdale.
In lieu of flowers, Rich’s family asks that donations be made in his memory to
either the Parkinson’s Foundation ( Parkinson.org ) or the American Heart
Association ( Heart.org ). (Please add irene.paolone@gmail.com to the donation
forms to ensure the family is notified.)
To send flowers to the family please visit: Flower arrangements
VISITATION AT FUNERAL HOME
2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Thursday, July 24, 2025
Bellmore Funeral Home
2340 Jerusalem Ave
N Bellmore, New York 11710
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VISITATION AT FUNERAL HOME
7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Thursday, July 24, 2025
Bellmore Funeral Home
2340 Jerusalem Ave
N Bellmore, New York 11710
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FUNERAL MASS
10:00 am
Friday, July 25, 2025
St. Barnabas RCC
2320 Bedford Ave
Bellmore, New York 11710
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FINAL RESTING PLACE
Friday, July 25, 2025
St. Charles Cemetery
2015 Wellwood Avenue
Farmingdale, New York 11735
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