Wellington pioneer Al Paglia died Tuesday, June 17 at the age of 83, after a life that helped build Wellington from a fledgling development to a thriving community.
Paglia moved from Connecticut to Wellington during its formative years, building one of its first homes in 1977. He was elected to the Wellington Village Council in 1998 and served until 2002, the last two years as vice mayor.
Kathy Foster, the first mayor of Wellington, remembered Paglia as “a hometown” kind of guy.
“He was everybody’s favorite when he was campaigning,” Foster said. “He’d be out in public, giving out his ‘Your Pal Al’ cards. That’s just the way he did it — he used no professional campaign manager or any kind of strategy; he was out there meeting people and talking to them, and that’s the way he wanted to do it.”
Once elected, things didn’t change. Paglia was still meeting with people and talking to them, getting their feedback, wherever he was.
“He truly looked at things on a larger scale,” Foster said. “He wanted to know what was best for the community as a whole. He had an openness to listen to different opinions.”
That said, Paglia was “always an advocate for the children and the parks,” Foster said.
Paglia was a devoted husband to his wife Rosemary and father to their three children, Dina, Paul and Michael. He served on the board of the Wellington Boys & Girls Club and was one of the founding members of St. Rita Catholic Church, where he was a devoted parishioner. Over the church’s last 40-plus years, Paglia was often at the lectern, delivering readings and psalms, served on the parish council and was an active member of the Knights of Columbus, a Catholic men’s organization dedicated to charity, unity, fraternity and patriotism.
“He was always willing to work on any church event that was coming up,” Foster said. “He was always supportive. And he’ll be truly missed by a lot of people.”
That includes Foster herself.
“Al was one of the kindest people I know,” Foster said. “Anyone who needed help, he was there. There wasn’t a task he wasn’t willing to do if someone needed him.”
Pizzazz Hair Salon owner Dennis Marquez, a longtime parishioner at St. Rita, described Paglia as “one of the greatest evangelists, bringing Jesus to the people” — and people to the church as well.
“He’d go up to anyone and say, ‘Hi. How are you? What church do you go to?’ and then, no matter their religious affiliation, he’d say, ‘Come meet me at St. Rita at 11 a.m. and, after the mass, I’ll buy you brunch.’ And he did. He loved and shared his faith with everyone,” Marquez said.
Paglia was in charge of recruiting men to attend the St. Rita men’s retreat, held annually at Our Lady of Florida Spiritual Center in North Palm Beach. “He shepherded a lot of men to that retreat,” Marquez said. “He will definitely be missed. Another legacy he’s leaving behind is that the Family Life Center currently being built at St. Rita will be furnished entirely with furniture from his company, some of the cost offset by company donations.”
Marquez said that while Paglia was father to two sons and a daughter, he served as an “uncle” figure to many children, including Marquez’s own.
“I have three boys and one girl,” Marquez said. “And they always looked up to ‘Mr. Paglia’ as if he was family. He exemplified how to be a family member of a church and, because he was a believer, we believe he’s in heaven now.”
Village Attorney Laurie Cohen, founder of the Wellington Historical Society, also recalled Paglia fondly.
“His nickname was ‘Your Pal Al,’ and he meant it. Al cared deeply about the Wellington community and had a real heart, especially for seniors,” Cohen said. “I recall him working with some of our seniors to attempt to introduce a trolley system in Wellington so that they could get around town. Although that project never came to fruition, Al continued to urge the council to address the needs of our seniors. He and his wife, Rosemary, were fixtures at many Wellington events, and Al was always friendly and outgoing. Al continued to stay involved in the community long after his public service ended. He will be remembered as one of the early pioneers who made Wellington a great hometown.”
Another early pioneer, Mark Miles, led the quest to have Wellington incorporated as a municipality and later served on the council. He worked alongside Paglia on both sides of many initiatives.
“Al had the community of Wellington close to his heart,” Miles said. “He wanted the best for its residents. He would always look you in the eye, shake your hand and tell you where he stood on an issue. Then he would listen.”
According to a statement on social media from Paglia’s son Paul, he passed away peacefully in his sleep.
“He was 83 years old and never stopped moving, living life to the fullest, right up to the very end,” Paul wrote. “Our hearts are heavy, but also full of gratitude for the incredible outpouring of love and support we’ve received from friends, family and the community.”
A funeral mass will be held at 11 a.m. on Monday, July 7, at St. Rita Catholic Church in Wellington, followed by a celebration of life.
