Michael G. Pavese

As one of his less loquacious friends remarked shortly after, words fail. Words, of course, were Michael's job; it's he who is most needed now. Instead the challenge falls to those that remain, and though it's true that the attempt to neatly summarize the human experience is in vain, it is the job of the author to try.

Born in the south side of Scranton, December 26 1959, Michael Pavese was the youngest of five. With his siblings mostly out of the house, he considered himself to some degree an only child. Buoyed by the support of mother Sylvia, a brassy, strong-willed, good-humored woman, young Michael honed his peculiar passions of intellect and theater, literature and film. He fell deep for show tunes, Sondheim in particular, Vladimir Nabokov, Alan Bennett, Samuel Johnson, and Cesare Pavese, whom he liked to claim as a relative. (It's unlikely.)

Active in plays in high school and college, where he fed his inner ham, he also nurtured his more cerebral pursuits as movie and theater critic for publications such as the Scranton Tribune and the Aquinas. He edited copy for Medieval and Renaissance Texts and Studies at Binghamton University, and it was there he earned his PhD in English.

A dutiful & consummately professional editor, he spent a productive two decades at Penn Foster, distributing educational materials worldwide. Meanwhile, he found richer purpose as a teacher at Penn State Worthington, and as a dedicated patron of the local arts community.

Following a Parkinson's Disease diagnosis, he resolved to return his energies to the arts as an active participant. He helped produce Radio Free Brooklyn's Troubadours & Raconteurs, working as a liaison with artists of all disciplines, some unknown and some recognized, all those hours milling about the lobbies of Broadway playhouses paying off. As resident essayist, his main feature was Uncle Cesare, wherein he narrated concise portraits of local color drawn from personal experience. It is his strength as a listener, and his genuine interest in the lives of people, that makes these stories sing.

His first one-act, "At the Zoo," was performed at the Diva Theater in 2017. A poignant, mordantly comic meditation on humanity through the eyes of a captive monkey, it set the tone for many plays to come, exhibiting his trademark cocktail of psychological insight, absurdist whimsy, dry wit, and compassion.

He also wrote lighter fare for children, though it retains complexity: "Bella Saves the World: A Frolic," a musical inspired by a cherished relationship with his ex-wife's dog, the vibrant and interactive "Dr. Doodle Will See You Now," and "The Great Cell Phone Catastrophe; Or, How I Learned to Stop Texting and Love to Talk," recently published and now performed by schoolchildren across the country. It plays in Stroudsburg in November.

His plays were frequently nominated for awards, and occasionally won them, notably 2021's "Thursdays at Bubbles." His final production, "A Painful Case," an opera in collaboration with composer Richard Wargo based on a short story by James Joyce, is in development. Its first act was performed last August at the historic Sembrich Theater in Lake George, NY.

Of late, he had found an especially fulfilling job at La Salle Academy in Jessup teaching seventh and eighth grade, where he inspired hundreds of students.

Finally, around the holidays of 2023, he received a "life-changing gift" (his words) in meeting Mischelle, a fellow English professor and social enthusiast. This is fitting given that he himself was a celebrated, exceptionally thoughtful giver of gifts.

This rare quality extends beyond his life, as his wish was to be donated to medical science, and his pedagogical pursuits will continue postmortem at the Drexel University School of Medicine.

He is survived by his son Nick; his partner Mischelle; siblings Joan, Bobby, Duke, and Paul; best friends Kieran and Diane; nieces, nephews, godchildren; a multitude of appreciative students; a company of respected colleagues; a horde of adoring friends; a substantial body of work; and an enduring spirit of humility, generosity, and decency.

Arrangements, Neil W. Regan Funeral Home, Inc.

A memorial and showcase of his work is scheduled for Oct 12 at the Scranton Cultural Center.

To e-mail condolences, please visit the funeral home website.