Paul A. Milardo, obituary
BREMEN — Paul Anthony Milardo, 48, of Bremen, Maine, (formerly of Thomaston, Maine and Portland, Connecticut) passed away unexpectedly on Sunday, October 31, 2021.
Paul was born on July 4, 1973 in Middletown, Connecticut. The cherished, sicilian son of Nebo S. Milardo, Jr. and Carol (Leadbetter) Milardo, who both preceded him in death. Paul was also predeceased by his paternal grandparents, Nebo Sr. and Mary (Cannata) Milardo, of Portland, Connecticut and maternal grandparents, Gilbert and Catherine (Chisolm) Leadbetter, of Camden, ME
Paul, beloved brother, leaves behind two loving and doting older sisters, Nancy A. Milardo, of Upstate New York (formerly of Portland and Middletown, Connecticut) and Elaine C. Milardo, of Bremen, Maine (formerly of Portland and Middletown, Connecticut); a half brother, Josiah Milardo, of Whitehall, New York; a few aunts and uncles, several cousins and an endless amount of great friends and acquaintances spanning from Maine to Connecticut, NYC and as far west as Arizona.
Paul attended Portland, Connecticut schools through eighth grade and graduated from Vinal Tech in Middletown, Connecticut.
Paul was multifaceted and enjoyed many different things, but he LOVED sports! His deep knowledge and understanding of both college and pro football and basketball was immense and he would talk to, educate, debate and school anyone about sports. He didn't care if they wanted to listen. He just told them! He also liked baseball (avid NY Yankees fan!) as well as NASCAR. The San Francisco 49'ers were his team and great love. If you saw Paul on the street, he was bound to be wearing 49er's or Yankees attire and baseball caps.
Paul was an incredible people person, which really came in handy in his business life. In his early days, Paul was associated with two men's urban clothing stores in Connecticut. Paul's passion for music, along with his natural musical skills and abilities really blossomed when he began to DJ. Paul and his good friend, Capital D, formed their very own successful reggae sound system that played in several Hartford, Connecticut locations. Paul emceed under the name Bun-It-Up, and Capital D spun the thumping tunes and dubplates made by both up-and-coming and well known American reggae artists. He and his boys would head down to the studio in NYC where they often met up with these performers to lay down tracks for the dubplates. But by far, Paul's biggest musical accomplishment was bringing two prominent reggae artists; Nadine Sutherland as well as Beres Hammond, to Hartford, where they both performed in a show promoted by Paul. He and his sister Elaine were discussing plans to bring a country music artist to Maine at the time of his death.
After much success in Connecticut, Paul moved to Maine to be closer to his beloved mother. He always was the apple of her eye and was commonly referred to by her as "The Star."
Now living in Maine, he decided to test the waters in the food service industry, being that he loved to cook. First by running the kitchen operations at Gilbert's, a popular bar located on Bay View Street in Camden (Maine). His next big success came in 2002, when he opened, owned and operated his very own food stand, Anthony's Take-Out, located at Harbor Park in Rockland, Maine with his mom pitching in to help right along side of him. After much success with the first location, he opened a second location with his sister Elaine in 2004 at Chicki Beach in Rockland, Maine. He finished out in Warren, Maine for a total of nine successful years.
It should be noted that Paul was a natural entrepreneur, who had incredible sales skills and never lacked confidence. He constantly set his sights higher with each business move that he made and was once told by a close friend that he could sell ice to an eskimo.
Paul will be deeply missed by his sisters, family and friends. Although he was outspoken in his beliefs, whether you agreed with him or not, he left his mark in the hearts and minds of everyone that crossed his path. His sister's referred to him as a "Legend of his own kind," who left this world far too soon.
Nancy and Elaine will be planning a Celebration of Life in Connecticut during the Summer or Fall of 2022. Please follow social media via Facebook under Nancy Milardo or Elaine Milardo for further information as time draws near.