Paul G. Paridon 1938-2025

Paul was born Nov. 30, 1938, in Wadsworth, the youngest of four children. Due to his father’s job as a freight agent for the B&O Railroad, he lived in several places, including Uhrichsville and Dennison, until coming to Niles as a seventh grader. He was a proud Dragon and a center for the high school football team.

Upon graduation, he began his lifelong journey of love as a teacher and coach, all while earning his degree in education from Akron University. He started teaching at St. Stephen School in Niles, and after five years, transitioned to Leavittsburg and the LaBrae elementary and middle school, where he stayed for 36 years. In addition to teaching, he became the assistant football coach to Mel Staats when the football program was restarted at Leavittsburg High School and continued as the assistant football coach for LaBrae High School. His coaching career included time as the assistant varsity basketball coach and head JV coach, and for a year, he even took a turn as an assistant coach of track and field and baseball. After “retiring” from the varsity level, he took on the role as the head coach for the middle school football program. In his time teaching and coaching, Paul touched many lives. The success of his 41-year career was attested to by numerous accolades his family has received, including the recent great honor of induction into the LaBrae Hall of Fame.

Paul married the love of his life, Ellen Rossnagel, on Dec. 28, 1963, and they happily shared 61 years raising their six children and grandchildren.

Besides his family, he had a great love for Notre Dame and the Cleveland Guardians. He was a member of St. Mary Church and the Knights of Columbus, and had a passion for singing loudly, especially at church on Sundays.

Paul never missed a season of strawberry picking and carried on with the tradition with his kids and grandchildren. He enjoyed golfing and playing cornhole and was the champion of many family cornhole tournaments, even recently on Memorial Day when he threw the cornhole bag. His family will remember all the silly dad jokes he would make and the way they could always count on him to enjoy dessert with them — like cherry fry pies.

Paul enjoyed sitting on the porch swing and keeping tabs on the neighborhood hawk. His love of maps and directions will always be missed by his family, as he was their human GPS.

Anyone who spent time with Paul can attest that he was a quiet man. He spoke in short sentences, hated talking on the phone and never got overly emotional about anything. But what he didn’t say with words he spoke in volume through his actions. He was an extraordinary example of strength, resilience and grace to all who knew him. Through every challenge, he showed what it meant to live with courage and integrity. Most recently, referring to his health struggles, his son commented, “Dad is an athlete, coach and lover of sports. There is no quitting allowed; you compete with everything you have until there are 0:00 on the clock.” This was evident every day — in his will to keep pushing through until the very end for his family.

Paul’s legacy was, without a doubt, his family. Together with his wife, he enjoyed supporting their six children in their academic, sporting and life events, and carried through to support their grandchildren in the same.

Paul will be forever cherished and remembered by his wife, Ellen; his son, Paul (Martha) Paridon; and daughters, Renee (Peter) Kumar, Sharen (John) Maffei, Kristen Frazzini, Tara (Brian) Stanyard and Shannon (Gabe) Daugherty. Paul’s grandchildren brought him endless joy and his memory will live on in the hearts of Ben Kumar, Isabella, Abigail and Emma Frazzini, Owen Popour, and Reed, Logan and Madeline Stanyard, step-grandkids, Adam Kumar (Taylor), Sam Kumar (Tricia) and Rena Maffei; and step-great-grandkids, Chloe Kumar and Angel Corona. Also missing him are his brother, Richard Paridon; his sister-in-law, Sharen Rossnagel; and his many nieces and nephews, friends, students, coaches and players.

Preceding him in death were his parents; his sister, Margaret Mary, and husband, Don Coventry; his brother, Raymond, and wife, Josephine Paridon; his sister-in-law, Alice Paridon; and brother-in-law, Lt. Col. Edmund Rossnagel.

Family and friends may pay their respects to Paul 4 to 7 p.m. Monday, July 7, 2025, and 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, July 8, 2025, at the Peter Rossi & Son Memorial Chapel, 1884 North Road NE, Warren.

A funeral service will begin 11 a.m. Tuesday, July 8, 2025, at St. Teresa of Calcutta Parish-St. Mary Church, Warren, with the Rev. Fr. Christopher Cicero officiating.

The Paridons would like to thank all the family, friends, doctors and caregivers for their love and support throughout the years.

Family and friends may visit www.peterrossiandsonfh.com to view this obituary, sign the guest book and send condolences to Paul’s family.

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