AUBURN — Gary Thomas Paladino, 61, formerly of the Oxford/Poland area, died unexpectedly on Friday, June 1, in Auburn after coming home from knee surgery. He rests in heaven with his family and the Lord.

Born Feb. 24, 1957, in Lewiston, he was the son of the late Donald and Constance (Nolan) Paladino. He attended local schools in Lewiston and Poland, and graduated from Gray-New Gloucester High School in 1976.

On Aug. 19, 1979, Gary married the love of his life, Pauline Morin Paladino, at St. Louis Church in Auburn. They made their home in Oxford with their three children, Stefan, Sarah and Shirley.

Gary was employed at Gates Form Fiber for over 28 years and then was the owner and operator of Dino’s Variety in Oxford. He was also a volunteer driver for Western Maine Transportation. In his younger years he was a volunteer with Poland Rescue, and was the founder and crew chief of the extrication team.

He was a Patriots fan and loved watching WWE and his Corvette, “Bella.” He was an honorary member of the ELHS Class of ‘72 and looked forward to breakfast meetings with the gang on Friday mornings. He loved camping, boating and snowmobiling, and loved meeting and making new friends. He loved sharing the campfire with family and friends at their timeshare in Rangeley. He was always the life of the party.

He will be loved and missed by his soulmate and devoted wife, Pauline; their son, Stefan Paladino and wife, Casilde; daughter, Sarah Paladino and her fiance, Nate Pepin, of South Paris; and daughter, Shirley Paladino of Lewiston. “Beepa”/Grampa/Papa/Pop will be missed by grandchildren Isabella Paladino and her brother, Derek Carrier, Chase and Lilly Knight and Carly Williams.

Survivors include his sister and brother-in-law, Donna and Bert Poirier of Greene; his brother and sister-in-law, Andrew and Christine Paladino of Discovery Bay, Calif.; sisters-in-law Joline Paladino of Durham, Kathy Paladino of Virginia and Vicky Swanson of Mechanic Falls; brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Eddy and Kathy Morin of Livermore; and sisters-in-law Alison Morin of Auburn and Gina Morin and her partner, Tammy Grover, of Lewiston.

He is also survived by special nieces Michelle Morin and Dan Williams, Chloe Doughty and their parents, Sheila and Jim Doughty, Caitlin and Jedidiah Knight and many other nieces and nephews; and his pets Kodiak, Arielle and Jetta, who will miss him.

Gary was predeceased by his parents, Donald and Constance Paladino; his in-laws, Eddy and Irene Morin; and five brothers, Johnny, Michael, Ronnie, Don Jr. and Dennis.

Gary’s favorite quote was: “Positive thinking leads to positive results.” Please live life with a positive attitude in his memory.

Until we meet again…

Gary Thomas Paladino