Shelter Island Reporter obitiuaries: Bartilucci, MacPhail

Paul Dino Bartilucci, died on July 3, 2021.

Paul was born on March 27, 1952, in Queens and moved to Shelter Island two years later with his parents George and Anita, and his older brother James. Born a year later was his younger brother, Steven.

The family owned and operated a full-scale farming operation on the Island, raising cows, pigs, goats and chickens for food. Their primary source of income came from leasing parts of land to farm and selling vegetables.

Paul was Shelter Island High School’s class president when he graduated in 1969. After graduation during the 1970s he hitchhiked across the country many times.

He married Susan Clark of Shelter Island and moved to San Diego, Calif. where they had three children, Amy, Dave and Steven.

His family described Paul as “very hands on and talented,” working as a pipe fitter on aircraft carriers.

In 1986 the family returned to Shelter Island to raise their children in the same community where they grew up. Paul worked at Piccozzi’s garage as a mechanic and later opened his own shop.

Paul was a Little League coach, Cub Scout leader, and a fire chief. His family remembers him as a person who “lived his life to the fullest,” noting that he lived in Brazil for the past 20 years. He will be deeply missed and leaves behind his mother, Anita Bartilucci; two brothers, James and Steven Bartilucci; his children Amy Fields and David Steven; nine  grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

A wake will take place at Shelter Island funeral home on July 16 from 3 to 6 p.m. and a funeral Mass will be celebrated on July 17 at 10:30 a.m. at Our Lady of the Isle Church, followed by the burial and a Celebration of Life.

Angus Norman MacPhail

Former Shelter Island Heights resident and gallery owner, Angus Norman MacPhail, died July 2, at the age of 73, in Portland, Maine.

Born in Washington, D.C., Angus was the son of Donald and Elinor MacPhail. During his childhood, his family lived in Europe and North Africa, and throughout his life, he carried a love for traveling and exploring.

Angus was a Vietnam combat veteran who later worked as a lobsterman in Maine, then as a carpenter and owner of Alley Arts in Shelter Island Heights from 1983 to 1988, where he lived with his former wife, Sally, who was managing editor of the Shelter Island Reporter. He was a self-taught artist, and for nearly the past two decades, he was proprietor/artist of Seaweed Studios, based in Portland. He painted plates and pots with riotously joyful colors and developed his own distinctive style of painting ocean creatures, nautical motifs, and garden scenes. He created vibrant mosaics using reclaimed furniture, found objects, and his own beautiful handmade tiles.

Even though he was well acquainted with sadness, his art was filled with warmth and color and humor, and it brought joy and beauty to many. Angus embraced the charm that could be found in experimentation, imperfection, and a little bit of chaos. 

He always loved the ocean and could be found every summer sailing or tinkering on one of a series of sailboats, always with a dog or two at his heels. He was one of the funniest, most keenly intelligent people one could be lucky enough to meet. He loved late nights of talking and laughing and listening to music. He had a unique perspective on the world; he was ever-intrigued by people and their intricacies, and he voiced his impressions emphatically. Though he had cantankerous moments, anyone lucky enough to know him saw his joie de vivre, his generosity, his deep loyalty, and his love for his family.

He will be remembered every day by his children: Genevra, Phoebe, Cameron, Alastair, and Elinor; their spouses Chris, Todd, Agathe, Gabriela and Alex; their mothers, Rosamond and Sally; and his five grandchildren: Zara, Juniper, Fiona, Roman, and Ragna. He leaves behind his long-term partner, Melissa, and his beloved dog, Bea.

Angus was looking forward to having his children and grandchildren together this summer following the isolation of the past many months. They will still gather to honor and remember him. There will be a lot of tears and a lot of laughter. Mostly, there will be gratitude that they were lucky enough to have him, even if their time with him was too short.

Please remember Angus when, after time away from the ocean, you return, and you first smell the salt in the air. In Angus’s memory, please consider a donation to Good Shepherd Food Bank in Auburn, Maine, 3121 Hotel Rd, Auburn, ME 04210, or Gosnell Hospice House in Scarborough, Maine, 11 Hunnewell Rd, Scarborough, ME 04074.