Methuen’s Mario Pagnoni was a teacher, mentor, coach, umpire, author, event organizer and — above all else — a lover of bocce. But his friends will point out another hidden talent: Singer. Well, they might put air-quotes around the word ‘talent.’ But whenever Pagnoni stepped on a bocce court, it was always the same old song and dance.  

“Every time he would sing ‘Oh, What a Night,’” laughed longtime friend Ralph Bagarella of Salem, who proceeded to belt out a couple of bars of The Four Seasons’ hit song himself. “Do you know that song? He used to always sing that when we were playing bocce. He was just a very happy, go-lucky guy.” Pagnoni, 70, passed away on Aug. 6, surrounded by his loving family and friends, due to complications from dementia. He had been dealing with the illness for the past five years.