Dean Lord Paradise

PARADISE Dean Lord Paradise, age 72, of the Lordship section of Stratford, beloved husband of Bonnie MacDougall Paradise, died Thursday, November 16, 2006 at Yale-New Haven Hospital. Born in Milford to the late Ernest J. and Florence Cahill Paradise, he had been a Lordship resident for many years. Dean was a 1952 graduate of Harding High School, attended the University of Bridgeport and was a U.S. Army veteran of the Korean War. On returning from the Army, he was employed for 14 years at Southern New England Telephone Co. and Fruitrich Cadillac and Oldsmoblie for 27 years. Most recently, he was associated with Jim Barry Cadillac and O'Keefe Cadillac. After retiring from the auto business, he served as the Stratford Republican Registrar of Voters for three years. A true humanitarian and " people person," he belonged to the Stratford Rotary Club, the Stratford Historical Society and was vice president of Stratford Softball Tournaments, Inc. He also served on the Town of Stratford 350th Anniversary Celebration Committee. A member of the Stratford Republican Town Committee, he also volunteered at Bridgeport Hospital Heartbeats and worked for the Stratford Recreation Department and Sterling House. In addition to his devoted wife, Bonnie, he is survived by his beloved daughter, Whitney Graham Paradise of Stratford; one niece, Michele Pia and her husband, Gary, of Stratford and their sons Christopher and Andrew; one nephew, Jon E. Paradise of California; and one sister-in-law, RuthAnne Fuller and her husband, Ron, of New Hampshire and their children, Todd, Tori and Teale. In addition to his parents, he was predeceased by his brother, Ernest J. Paradise Jr. Friends are invited to attend the funeral on Tuesday, November 21, 2006 at 1 p.m. DIRECTLY in Christ Episcopal Church, 2000 Main Street, Stratford. Interment with military honors will be in St. Michael1s Cemetery. Friends may call Monday from 4 to 8 p.m. in the Pistey Funeral Home, 2155 Main Street, Stratford. Those who wish may make donations in Dean's memory to Stratford Softball Tournaments, Inc. c/o Frank DeLuca, 105 Maureen Street, Stratford, CT 06615 or American Diabetes Association, 306 Industrial Park Road, Middletown, CT 06457-1517. Bonnie and Whitney would especially like to thank the staffs of Yale-New Haven Hospital, MICU 9th and 7th floors, Bridgeport Hospital and St. Vincent1s Medical Center for the care and comfort they gave to Dean and his family.