Obituary of Paul DiNolo

Paul DiNolo, 76, of Duxbury, died at Beth Israel Deaconess Plymouth after a long battle with Lewy-Body dementia. Born on July 24, 1947, to Salvatore and Marie (Vitale) DiNolo, Paul grew up speaking a mixture of French and Italian, not learning English until he started school at age 6. As a child he was particularly close with his “Nonno” and namesake, Paolo DiNolo, and in his later years was so proud and happy to get to be a “Nonno” himself. A 1965 graduate of Stoughton High School, Paul attended Northeastern University’s co-op program, graduating in 1970. While Paul had originally planned to study engineering, a co-op job teaching disadvantaged students immediately changed his mind, and he went on to earn a master’s degree and begin doctoral work in mathematics and education at Boston University. After a brief stint teaching on the North Shore, Paul secured a position at Norwell High School, where he went on to teach for 30 years, retiring in 2006. Paul loved teaching; while he was beloved by all students, he had a special soft spot for those who struggled in school. For years he was known as the teacher to play classical music during tests and serve up “generic cookies” to help students relax. In addition to his work in the classroom helping develop numerous projects that are still assigned in Norwell today, Paul coached JV softball for many years and in the last decade or so of his career also started advising the “Live Poets Society,” where he and his students shared poetry they had written.

Outside of teaching, Paul’s passion was fly fishing. For decades he served on the board and even a term as president of United Fly Tyers, teaching fly tying classes, exhibiting at fly fishing conventions, and appearing on fly fishing segments on television. Nearly all of his closest friends were fellow anglers, many of whom spent hours tying flies in Paul’s basement den or casting in the rivers and ponds of Vermont, New Hampshire, and western Massachusetts. He greatly enjoyed day trips “up north,” leaving Duxbury before 6am to be in the White Mountains or Green Mountains by midmorning, fishing all day, and getting home after midnight– the hours in the car included discussions about history, politics, and music, along with quoting lines from The Princess Bride and SNL sketches and telling terrible jokes.

Paul was also an enthusiastic amateur musician and connoisseur of many genres of music, particularly classical, jazz, and hits from the 1960s. A self-taught pianist, as a young man he played in a local rock band and often joined in with his students at many of Norwell’s talent shows through the years. He enjoyed making music with his three daughters and attending their concerts as they grew up. In his later years, he greatly enjoyed attending the concerts of his grandchildren. One of his repeated requests was always to have jazz music at his funeral.

Paul adored his family. He recently marked 49 years of marriage to his wife, Judy (Semer), of Duxbury, a fellow math teacher. He is survived by his wife Judith; his three daughters, Amy Cortright (Brian) of Kingston, Christine Crimmins (Paul) of South Boston, and Elizabeth DiNolo (Dustin Kerksieck) of Medford; his grandchildren, Julia and Caroline Cortright, and Charlie and Phoebe DiNolo; and his brother, Daniel DiNolo of Lincoln, VT.

Memorial calling hours will be held on Friday March 1, 2024 from 3-7pm at the Shepherd Funeral Home 216 Main St. Kingston, MA.