Paul Fontaine

He is survived by his loving wife Caroline (Lebejko) Fontaine of Norwich, a son David Fontaine and his wife Danielle and grandson Luke Fontaine of Griswold. Paul and Carol were getting ready to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary this October.

Paul was a graduate of NFA and worked at Pratt & Whitney for over 35 years, having risen from working the shop floor to senior purchasing/buyer until his retirement.

Paul had a love for vintage American muscle cars since the time he had his driver’s license. From his father’s tuned ‘58 Chevy, to his favored ’62 Chevy Impala “409” and finally his ’86 Buick Grand National, there was always a “classic” in the driveway. During those early years, Paul was drawn to amateur drag racing in the New Breed Drag Racing Club of Norwich. Many days were spent by father and son polishing and cleaning a classic car for a car show, of which many of the cars won awards. One year he and Carol took their ’86 Buick GN to a national meet in Kentucky where it placed in its class. Paul later joined a more relaxed car club, the Dream Machines Classics Auto Club of Southeast Connecticut while cruisin’ to many diners and ice cream shops.

From the time he was a boy, Paul loved trains. In his youth, spent in the Greeneville village of his Norwich home on Central Avenue, he would watch the New York, New Haven, and Hartford railroad steam by. In the ‘80s, he brought his son, David, into the hobby and began to circle around Connecticut and New England watching trains. That was only the beginning as it turned into a huge hobby with a HO-scale train layout in many of their homes. He just recently brought his grandson Luke into the fold with a Thomas and Friends trainset which has triggered such a love for trains in Luke that he has moved on to motorized trainsets.

Paul loved his dogs. From the puppies born from one dog at the Sunoco gas station that he ran in the ‘70s, to all the German Shepherds that he adored through the recent years. And they were not just dogs, they were Paul and Carol’s companions and best friends at home.

Always a devote Catholic, Paul would be seen in daily mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral with his wife Carol by his side, kneeling to pray the rosary with an overly full prayer book.

Family and friends may visit Labenski Funeral Home, 107 Boswell Ave., Norwich on Monday from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. to be followed by a Mass of Christian Burial to be held at St. Patrick Cathedral, Norwich at 10:00 a.m. Burial will follow at Sacred Heart Cemetery, Norwich. Unfortunately, due to current events a celebration of his life will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations on behalf of the family may be made to Dementia Society of America: https://www.dementiasociety.org/donate . Please visit www.churchandallen.com to leave an online condolence.