Paul Michael Cottone

January 8, 1950 - March 18, 2017

Paul Michael Cottone, 67, of Fayetteville passed away on Saturday, March 18, 2017 at Duke University Medical Center surrounded by those he loved and who loved him dearly. He was born on January 8, 1950 in Jackson Heights, Queens to the late Paul Vincent and Frances Gonasun Cottone. Paul was a proud graduate of Chaminade High School (Mineola, NY), St. John’s University (Queens, NY), and the University of Maryland School of Dentistry (Baltimore, MD). He received his orthodontic training and Master’s degree at Fort Knox, KY and the University of Louisville, respectively. He served in the U.S. Army, first as a dentist and then as an orthodontist for 20 years and was awarded numerous medals and citations for excellence, including the Expert Field Medical Badge. Upon retiring from the U.S. Army, Paul opened a private practice and served the orthodontic needs of his patients in Fayetteville, NC for 16 years. Those left to cherish his memory are his wife of 46 years, Jeanette Youngblood Cottone; daughters Melissa Black (Mitchell) and Rachel Dempsey (Patrick); brother Michael Cottone (wife, Maripat; children, Michaela and Katharine); grandchildren Collins Cottone (Black), Noah Paul (Black), Emma Ruth (Dempsey), and Finnegan Paul (Dempsey). A funeral mass will be held at 10:00 AM on Saturday, April 1, 2017 at St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church, 804 High House Road, Cary, NC 27513. The inurnment, with Military Honors, will follow at St. Michael’s columbarium. Those serving as pallbearers are Mitchell Black, Michael Cottone, Patrick Dempsey, and Louis Guarino. The family will receive friends at a reception in the Parish Center immediately thereafter. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Chaminade High School Development Fund (Paul M. Cottone, class of 1967), 340 Jackson Avenue, Mineola, NY 11501-2441 or at www.chaminade-hs.org.