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Stephen Cote uploaded photo(s)
Saturday, December 30, 2023
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My father was the most genuinely curious guy I've ever known. Often he was both the smartest guy in the room and the most humble. He could go a mile wide and a mile deep on so many topics: Literature, Art, History and of course Science. He was always a lock for winning Trivial Pursuits and Jeopardy. He could fix things. Never called a Repair Man when I was growing up. And If it wasn't broken, he might take it apart and put it back together just to understand how it worked. He could recite Robert Frost and quotes from Classic literature. He was a lifelong hobbyist: built a photo dark room, obsessed over achieving the perfect golf swing, a master sketch artist...so then pursued watercolor, oil painting, asian brush painting and on and on. And yet despite his deep knowledge, intellect and talents, he was not arrogant, condescending or dismissive to others around him. He enjoyed sharing his knowledge, explaining and teaching.
But I think what made him special was his humility. To be humble comes from a wisdom that few possess. Despite all of what he knew, he also had an awareness and appreciation for the vastness of the world, the universe and the infinite unknown mysteries of this life and his (and our) relative place in it. I believe that he delighted in that paradox. If he were here, I think he would say, "I don't really know anything" with a grin. His humility did not derive from a lack of confidence in his abilities but rather an understanding that he (and we) have only scratched the surface on what there is to know. It was this that drove his curiosity and lifelong joy of observing and learning new things. I am grateful to have known the man and the life of quiet confidence that he modeled for all of us.
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Michael Cote posted a condolence
Friday, December 29, 2023
Eulogy for Paul J Cote
An Extraordinary life
Our Dad came from humble beginnings, growing up alongside his father’s dairy in rural Massachusetts. He would ride around in his Dad’s trucks delivering milk before the dawn on icy cold mornings. He knew he wanted more in life and chose a very difficult path to break away from life at the dairy, seek out a PhD education in physics, and pursue a career in science. He rose to the heights of professional success as a research physicist discovering new materials like glassy alloys and solving engineering problems like exploding breach rings on gun tubes that threatened military service members. He continued his love of learning throughout his life and was always reading books in his free time, especially on the civil war, World War II and biographies of historical figures.
Another great passion for him was his artwork. I remember as kids, Dad sitting at family events with our cousins and drawing all of our favorite toys or animals. Through the years, he painted beautiful portraits of us kids, grandkids and of course his favorite subject, my Mom. In addition to charcoal, pastels, watercolor and oil, he even taught himself Chinese brush painting. He was a true renaissance man, pursuing interests in both science and the arts.
Above all he was a family man - devoted to my Mom since they started dating in high school. They have been inseparable ever since. Sharing a love of travel took them to Greece, Majorca, Germany, an Alaskan cruise, train trips through Canada and all across the country. I’ll never forget the car trips as kids in that stuffy station wagon, across the west to the Grand Canyon, painted desert, petrified forest and down south to the 1982 World’s Fair, civil war battlefields too numerous to count and of course Disney World.
Beyond the travel, I knew I could always count on Dad being there for us all. He was passionate about physics and his career, but you could set your clock to his arrival home every day at 5pm sharp. He always made time to support all of us kids with our studies and home work. Whether it was helping with our projects at school, merit badges in scouting, building a working radio from scrap materials in the basement, or setting up science or art projects for the grandkids, he always had time and energy for us all.
He accomplished all this despite dealing with numerous health issues throughout much of his adult life. Like all great warriors, he battled on until all hope was lost.
Finally, although we will all miss him terribly and wish he had more time to share in the joys of life, I think we can all take some solace in knowing he is at peace, without pain, without suffering and having led a truly extraordinary life.
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The family of Paul Cote uploaded a photo
Friday, December 29, 2023
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Wednesday, December 27, 2023
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The Catricala Funeral Home Inc. is owned and managed by Eric A. Catricala. It is also run by funeral director, Michael E. Hornung.
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Catricala Funeral Home Inc.
1597 Route 9
Clifton Park, NY 12065
Tel: (518) 371-5334
Email: info@catricalafuneralhome.com