Raynham's Paul Monti remembered as amazing teacher, loving father, muse of country music.

RAYNHAM – Niccole Monti never remembers feeling her father's absence despite how busy he was juggling being a dad, his school work as a teacher and extracurriculars.

“There is a saying, ‘Any man can become a father, but it takes a man to be a dad’ and my dad took on that role with such ease,” Niccole said at the funeral of her father, Paul Monti, at St. Ann Catholic Church in Raynham on Thursday morning, Sept. 1, 2022.

Dozens of state troopers lined up outside St. Ann as the wooden seats filled with friends, family and former students of Paul Monti, a Gold Star father from Raynham who died Aug. 26 at the age of 76 at Baypointe Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Brockton.

Those who spoke at his funeral, attended by Gov. Charlie Baker, began with simple examples of how extraordinary this Stoughton High School earth science teacher truly was.

Paul Monti left a legacy behind as being known for his incredible love for his son, U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Jared Monti, who was killed in action while serving in Afghanistan in 2006 and was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor – presented to his parents at the White House by former President Barack Obama in 2009.

The story of Paul Monti’s devotion to his son was the inspiration behind the hit song "I Drive Your Truck," that won Song of the Year at the Country Music Awards and hit No. 1 on the Billboard charts in 2013.

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Monti drove his son's truck to feel closer to him after Jared died.

Niccole described her father as one of a kind regarding parenting and his work ethic.

"When you look up the word ‘father’ in the dictionary it says to perform a task of a male parent, a caretaker. But when you look up the definition of ‘dad’ it’s a little deeper," Nicole said. "It is defined as a term used for your father, someone with a close caring supportive connection with their child."

A dad’s job is to continuously show their children love, she said.

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And Paul Monti never failed to show his love and dedication to his children.

Paul Monti carried around a pink cigar can that said "It's a girl" from the day Niccole was born, and he affectionately called Niccole "Princess."

"He was never afraid to tell us how much he loved us," Niccole said.

After Jared’s death, Paul Monti wanted to make sure a veteran never becomes forgotten.

He devoted his life to advocacy for Gold Star families and several organizations, including Operation Flags For Vets, Monti's Run, and the SFC Jared C. Monti Charitable Foundation.

Paul Monti was buried at the Massachusetts National Cemetery in Bourne on Thursday alongside his son Jared.

Enterprise staff reporter Alisha Saint-Ciel can be reached by email at stciela@gannett.com. You can follow her on Twitter at @alishaspeakss and Instagram at Alishaatv. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Enterprise today.

This article originally appeared on The Enterprise: Gold Star father Paul Monti, of Raynham, remembered at funeral