Lt. Paul John “Ranger” Minton, BFD, Ret., of Weymouth, died peacefully, following many years of declining health, on Friday, May 15, 2026, at the South Shore Hospital in Weymouth. He was 78.

Ranger was born at St. Margaret's in Dorchester on June 21, 1947, and was the son of the late Walter B. and Joan M. (Maughn) Minton.

Ranger was raised in the St. Mark's Parish neighborhood of Dorchester. A proud graduate of Don Bosco High School, where he served as a cheerleader (a fact he never once let anyone forget), Paul could be counted on at any moment to jump to his feet and shout, "Give me an M!" He wore that distinction like a badge of honor.

He went on to attend the Vesper George School of Art, where he developed a passion for acrylics and pen and ink. Ranger was an aspiring artist, but the call of the firehouse proved to be his true vocation in life. He dedicated his career to the Boston Fire Department, serving with pride and distinction on Ladder 17, Local 718. The brotherhood of the fire service was not merely a job to him, it was a sacred bond, a second family, and a way of life. He lived its values every day, even off duty. In one of the most defining moments of his career, Paul was awarded the Boston Fire Department's Distinguished Service Medal after rescuing children who had capsized a rowboat in a pond. This act of selfless heroism he performed on his own time, because that was simply who he was.

On October 6, 1972, Paul married the love of his life, Trisha, at St. Brendan's Parish in Dorchester, after four years of dating. They would go on to share 54 remarkable years together. Together, Paul and Trisha became Rangers for the Appalachian Mountain Club at the Ponkapoag Camp in the Blue Hill Reservation, settling into the woods and making it their home for fifty years. They didn't just visit nature, hey lived inside it, tended it, protected it, and shared its gifts with everyone who passed through. He claimed the right to say he had the best of both worlds: going off to work in the city and come home to the woods.

Paul was a man of joyful interests. He loved kayaking and heading up north whenever he could. He loved golf too, not because he was particularly gifted at it, but because that was never quite the point. He was there for the fresh air, the company, the fooling around, and telling stories. And then there were the dogs. Every dog Paul ever owned was named Ponky, after the beloved Ponkapoag Camp, and each one was a Dalmatian. Ponky I, Ponky II, Ponky III, and his current canine companion, Ponky IV, each carried on a tradition as uniquely Paul as anything could be.

Ranger would gather co-workers and a community of friends who volunteered to do maintenance projects at the cabins, then stand around a campfire and tell stories, and share some laughs. He was fun-loving, silly, and genuinely happy in a way that was contagious and rare. Full of life, well-known, and impossible to forget. He was a big jokester throughout his life, always going for a laugh to make others happy.

Ranger was the beloved husband of Patricia A. "Trisha" Minton. He was the brother of Jean McCormack and her husband Jack of Yarmouth, and the late James Minton. Ranger was the devoted uncle of Jamie, Tim, Kevin, Bryan, Chris, Ken, and Kelly, and the dear brother-in-law of William Doherty and his wife Nancy of Milton, and Kathleen Cariens and her husband Kenneth of Iowa. Dear friend of Jacki Coyle of New York. Ranger was preceded in death by his best friend, partner in crime, brother firefighter, the late Tommy Bell and his surviving wife Sheila of Quincy. He is also survived by many extended family members and friends.

Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to greet the family during the visiting hours on Thursday, May 21, 2026, from 9-11 AM in the McDonald Keohane Funeral Home SOUTH WEYMOUTH at 809 Main Street (Route 18, opposite of South Shore Hospital).

His funeral service will be celebrated on Thursday, May 21, 2026, at 11 AM in McDonald Keohane Funeral Home, South Weymouth. Cremation will follow. Interment is private.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations in Ranger's name to the charitable organization of your choice.