Occupation: I have my own business. I’m a manufacturer’s representative for a number of specialty chemical companies. I enjoy my work very much. The guy who said, “If you do what you love, you’ll never have to work a day in your life,” was right on the money.

Family: My wife Cathy and I have three children. Our oldest is Gina Plaue. She and her husband, Dave, live in Newtown. They have two children, Ben and Celia. Lisa Mazzariello lives in Queens with her son, Sammy. Our son John and his wife Amy, and their two girls, Olivia and Audrey, live in Green Bay, Wis.

Pets: I have a koi pond, so I guess the fish are my “pets.” I have about 15 fish in a pretty good-sized pond.

How long have you lived in Newtown? We moved up here to Sandy Hook with Union Carbide in 1980, from New Jersey.

What do you like to do in your free time? I putter around a lot in the backyard with the pond and the pool, and do chores around the house. I play a little golf when I can, and we like to travel. I have a Kindle e-reader, so I’m doing more reading now. It’s so easy to get books and to bring them with anywhere. My daughter-in-law owns a bookstore in Wisconsin, so she thinks it’s sacrilegious. I love movies. We have Apple TV, so we can stream movies right onto our television. It’s just amazing, and we don’t watch a lot of regular television shows.

What have you read recently? My favorite author is Nelson DeMille. I just finished reading The Gate House, the sequel to The Gold Coast. I like the way he writes, especially his character development.

Do you have a favorite travel destination? That would be Italy. We’ve been several times, and are going this fall to the Amalfi Coast, and then to Tuscany. To me, the whole country is a museum. Last time, we visited Pompeii, and it is just fascinating. I have relatives in Milan, too, with whom I correspond and see from time to time. We like river and sea cruises, too. This past February, we got out from all those snowstorms and did a Panama Canal cruise.

Do you have a hero? I think my wife is my hero. She was a great teacher and went back to school while she was working to get her administrative degree. She became an assistant principal at Sandy Hook School. And, she’s always right!

Do you have a personal philosophy? Don’t regret or live in the past. Always move forward to the future.

What makes you happiest? My family. We’re really enjoying our grandchildren, and the fact that they are either close by, or with our ability to travel, we can see them frequently. Modern technology, like Skype, lets us “see” them even when they are far away.