Paul J. Bucci, 94, passed away on Thursday, June 18, 2026 in Wildwood, Florida surrounded by his loving family.
Paul was born on October 22, 1931 to Salvatore and Anna (Ventura) Bucci in Newburgh, New York. His life was full. He obtained his Master’s degree, served in the US Navy and taught in public schools for 30 years. Paul’s passion was his alter ego, Tunes the clown. He had an extraordinary sense of humor and a “pun”-tastic way of communicating.
Paul wrote the message below for his neighbors, showcasing his humor and highlights of his life:
When we moved here from New York in 1996, i told the community folks i was available to do anything anybody wanted me to do. If its broke, I’ll still fix it. So my neighbor asked me if I would trim his trees, but they were just too shady.
As a retired Navy veteran I did offer to help at the veteran’s breakfast by serving flapjacks in the dining room. It was a real danger zone.
I’ve made a lot of friends here. This one guy, friend of a friend, wanted me to play tennis with him. It was a beautiful and quiet day. There was no racquet.
I bet you didn’t know that I was a fairly good hoofer back in the day and because of that I decided to teach line dancing in the community. I had a group of lovely ladies and a couple of gents. It was a real trip, but we will skip over that. The gig lasted about 10 years.
During the same period, I joined Celtic Cousins. Imagine that, an Italian named Bucci, but hey it’s all relative.
I’m a musician at heart and maybe while waiting in line at the golf cart maintenance shop you might have heard me pumping out Beethoven’s ninth symphony on my harmonica. I missed a couple notes, so maybe it was actually the 7th symphony.
Anyway, having been a teacher for 30 years in the public school system in upstate New York, I like to keep my skills honed. I tried teaching harmonica lessons here. Five guys showed up and we blew right through it.
I really enjoyed my time on the board of the Humane Society, where we raised a lot of money. Despite what others might say, we did enjoy those dog and pony shows.
Yes, I really did have five children. And the great part of taking five children to the potato store, i mean ice cream store, is not knowing if I’m going to be eating six ice cream cones or none.
Some of you might know me as “Tunes” my alter ego. But back then i was just clowning around and it was pure magic.
I am now a member of the First Christian Church. We have mass appeal.
You have most likely seen and heard about Paul Bucci. No one delivers a joke like he does. He thanks you and has enjoyed sharing humor with you these last 30 years.
Paul is predeceased by his wife of 56 years Joan Higgins Bucci and his son Paul R. Bucci. He is survived by his brother Rev. David Bucci; his children Lynne (Vel) Ilic; Cynthia; Ellen (Shephard) Kett; John (Linda) Bucci; grandchildren Connor, Noah, Max; and best friend Joyce Pratt.
A Celebration of his Life will be scheduled in the future.