Paul James Paulli Jr.

Nov 3, 2011

Paul James Paulli Jr., 79, of Charleston, died in the early hours of Thursday, Nov. 3, 2011, at home with family surrounding him.

He was the beloved husband of Mary Lou Albano for 53 years; the caring father of Lucia Paulli Hill of Cleveland; Father Kenneth Paulli, O.F.M. of Siena College in Loudonville, N.Y.; and Lia Paulli Gallo and her husband, Frank, of Cleveland. His surviving grandchildren are Caitlin and Matthew Hill and Taylor and Marc Gallo, and a great-grandchild, Knox Hill.

He was the son of Italian immigrants, Paul and Josephine Paulli Sr. of Mt. Kisco, N.Y. He was the brother of the late Michael Paulli, the late Eugene Paulli and Yolanda Paulli Semproni of Newton, Conn.

Graduating from Mt. Kisco High School, he was the first in his family to attend college. In 1954, he graduated from Clarkson University with a BBA. Upon graduation from Clarkson, he willingly served our country in the U.S. Army. Following his honorable discharge, he began his career at Lever Brothers in New York City.

Then, having met Mary Lou on the commuter train to New York City, and after proposing to her in 1957, they married in April of 1958. Once married and invited by his new father-in-law, Alfred Albano, he changed careers and became a partner in the family business, Albano Electric in Pound Ridge, N.Y. In his later years of employment, he worked for Olin Corporation.

Retiring from Olin in 1992, Paul and Mary Lou moved briefly to their summer home in Little Compton, R.I., and then to Hendersonville, N.C. Hearing the call to be with their daughters and their families, Paul and Mary Lou moved to Charleston in 1999.

No matter where he lived or worshipped – St. Patrick’s in Bedford, N.Y., St. Francis of Assisi in Mt. Kisco, N.Y., St. Mary in Ridgefield, Conn., Immaculate Conception in Hendersonville, N.C., St. Mary in Athens, or St. Therese in Cleveland – he lived out his baptismal call to be “salt of the earth and light to the world.” His life and death have inspired not only Mary Lou, Lucia, Kenneth and Lia, but so many others to continue to be the vessels through which God’s life and love are made real for the world.

Family and friends will gather at noon Saturday at St. Therese Church in Cleveland to celebrate the Roman Catholic Mass of Resurrection. One hour prior to the Mass, at 11a.m., Mary Lou, Lucia, Lia, Ken and their families will be at the church to receive friends. A private burial will be held in the National Cemetery in Chattanooga.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Paulli/Albano Scholarship at Siena College, 515 Loudon Rd., Loudonville, NY 12211; to the St. Francis Bread Line for the Homeless, St. Francis of Assisi Parish, 135 West 31st St., New York, NY 10001; or to The Caring Place, 130 Wildwood Ave. SE, Cleveland, TN 37312.

Ralph Buckner Funeral Home of Cleveland is in charge of arrangements.