Paul Maurice Chartrain

Just as March roared into Manchester like a lion in 1941, a lion of a man was born to Maurice and Dora (Adams) Chartrain. Living in the East End of Manchester, Paul struggled with rickets, a vitamin deficiency, as a young boy. He later moved into the “family compound” on Joliette Street; he was especially proud of his Joliette Street home and the large family living there. He attended Saint Jean Baptiste Grammar School and demonstrated his independent nature in fourth grade, seeking and obtaining employment at the Maple Street Market, earning forty cents an hour. With this money, he purchased a .22 caliber rifle and spent long childhood hours hunting small game in the Massabesic watershed with his friends, especially with his dad. He hunted squirrels, which his mother prepared, telling his sisters it was chicken. In later life, Paul became quite the wild game chef, delighting his family with special dishes such as Venison Steak Diane and grilled wild boar.

In 1954, he caught the biggest fish at the Manchester Union Leader Fishing Contest, a 12-inch brown trout. The prize was a fishing rod—the first he had ever owned, having previously only used a hand line. Unfortunately, he later cast the rod into the Merrimack River after handling a slippery eel, and the rod was gone forever.

As a teenager, Paul avoided school if possible, much preferring his job at a local car wash and his motorcycle, which he hid from his parents in a neighbor’s shed. He was a reckless speed demon, suffering many accidents and setting in motion a lifelong devotion to track racing. He spent little time at home, and his sister once said she did not know she had a brother.

He worked in the family flooring business and became a master tile setter. Later, his love of all things automotive inspired him to start an auto parts delivery business, and he spent years traveling the highways and byways of rural New Hampshire delivering parts. Often while raising his beloved daughter Pam, the two worked together, and Pam soon became his valuable assistant.

However, Paul found his life’s work in 2006 when he joined the volunteer Let’s Go Fishing Program at New Hampshire Fish and Game. There, the legendary Mr. ChooChoo became a lead instructor, working with classroom and field trip programs across the state, especially during his weeks at Barry Camp, logging long but wonderful hours doing what he liked best: teaching students to fish and to respect the outdoors. In 2015, Paul met a junior ice fishing instructor who followed him relentlessly for two years on the ice and kept bringing him sandwiches until he asked her to dinner at the Back Room. They married in 2017 at Manchester City Hall, dressed in their ice fishing gear.

Paul fought a brief but heart-wrenching battle with cancer. He was a warrior, never complaining, focusing on victory until the end.

Paul leaves a large and loving family, including Pamela (Chartrain) Rotz and her husband Will of North Carolina, his sister Irene J. (Chartrain) Nikias of Londonderry, NH, and many nieces, nephews, and cousins. He was predeceased by his sister Doris C. (Chartrain) Allard and her husband Edward, as well as several other family members.

And his second family: his loving wife Linda Mikula, her sister Susan and partner Rachel Maddow, Elaine and Bob Maddow, and all of our tribe, Pauline, Maureen, Michael, Allie, Meg, Oliver, Nate, and his loyal, good dog Lolabelle and her unruly brother Zigzag, and all of those who touched our lives over the past ten years.

A Memorial Service will be held on Thursday, June 26, from 5:00 to 5:30 PM, followed by a Memorial Gathering from 5:30 to 8:00 PM at the Cremation Society of New Hampshire, 243 Hanover Street, Manchester, NH.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Let’s Go Fishing Program, New Hampshire Fish and Game:

https://www.wildlife.nh.gov/sites/g/files/ehbemt746/files/inline-images/donate-form-nhfg.pdf