Paul S. Graziano

Paul Steven Graziano, born December 26, 1943 in Queens, New York, passed away on February 27, 2025 in Augusta, Maine, where he resided since 2022. He was the first child born to Paul and Mary (Baiardo) Graziano.
Paul adored his family, and is survived by many who will drink Dewar's in his memory for years to come: his son Rocko (Robyn), his son Stephen (Manisha), and their mother Peggy; his daughters Harmony and Manna, and their mother Sharon; his sister Mary (Kert), and his brother Robert (Nancy). He is also survived by his four grandchildren Annunziata, Harley, Christopher, and Kiren.
Paul led a full and interesting life. In his early years, he was a gifted student and skilled pool player and bowler; he bowled a 300 game in his late teens, and could shoot pool one-handed. (Either hand!) He spent many years working as a computer analyst, using punch cards on machines that took up entire rooms. He had a brilliant mind for systems and spatial relationships, and was the go-to person whenever there was a bug in the system that required fixing-in work, as well as in life.
Golf was Paul's lifelong passion. He grew up playing with his father, uncle and brothers in New York; golf has remained the Graziano family game for generations. Paul preferred to play on municipal courses with friends and family, and cherished his trip with his son Rocko to Augusta National during the 2011 Masters Tournament. He rarely missed the coverage of the PGA Tour, providing color commentary throughout the rounds and putting the "hoolies" on players he didn't like. He would happily wake at 3:00am to watch a tournament live, instead of catching the recording later in the day.
In his later years, Paul lived on Kaua'i, Hawai'i, where he relished the temperate climate, easy pace of life, and beautiful golf courses. Known as "Graz" to his golf buddies there, Paul played skins games for cash, regularly coming home from his favorite course at Wailua with wads of singles in his pockets. He favored the oceanfront 17th hole at that course, where he sunk one of his many lifetime holes-in-one.
Paul's other passion in life was hoarding shares of the family "oochies", a traditional Italian cookie first baked by his grandmother, Lucy, who passed the tradition on to Paul's mother, Mary, then to Paul's sister Mary, who now makes oochies with Paul's daughters Harmony and Manna and granddaughters Annunziata and Kiren.
Paul was specific in his tastes-his diet consisted largely of gummy bears and Pepsi-and galactic in his curiosities. He was fascinated by the cosmos and theoretical physics, by the lens on the divine provided by an atomic understanding of the physical world. He solved issues with his golf game not at the range, but on the couch. He was known to dispense Paulie Wisdom to his children and friends, earning him the nickname Rabbi for his levelheaded perspective on life's chaotic flux. He counseled generosity and patience; he loved to remind everyone that, as his favorite song goes, "All my life's a circle".
He is predeceased by his father Paul, mother Mary, brother Stephen and best friend, Anthony.
A celebration of life for Paul will be held on Kaua'i, Hawai'i, later this Spring. BOOYAH!