Joseph W. Tiexiera Obituary

Chief Joseph W. Tiexiera (Ret., JFD), 84, a lifelong resident of Jamestown, passed away on March 1, 2019. He was the husband of the late Phyllis M. (Whitehead) Tiexiera and Alma M. (O’Connor) Duffy Tiexiera. His companion of fourteen years, Dorothy Norton.

Born in Newport, he was the son of the late Manuel J. and Mary L.E. (Cadorette) Teixeira.
A US Navy Veteran, he served during the Korean Conflict.
Mr. Tiexiera was a fireman on the Jamestown-Newport Ferry from 1957-1966, in 1966 he worked for the Perini Corp as a fireman on a barge and promoted to Captain on the tugboat “Bella” during the construction of the Newport Bridge. In 1968 he and his wife Phyllis founded Island Rubbish.

He was a firefighter for the North Kingstown Quonset Fire Department from 1970-1974, he had volunteered for the Jamestown Fire Department since 1956 and climbed the ranks becoming Chief in 1980 until 1994, still volunteering dedicating sixty-three years of service.
Mr. Tiexiera served on the Jamestown Town Council for two terms in the 1970’s. He was an avid golfer, a former little league coach, enjoyed hunting and fishing; and racing stock cars at the Seekonk Speedway. He was a member of the American Legion, VFW, Jamestown Striper Club, Ft. Wetherill Boat Owners Association, Jamestown Community Theater and the Jamestown Yacht Club. He was also a member of the International Rhode Island and Newport County Fire Chiefs Association. A communicant of St. Mark Parish, he was a member of the Knights of Columbus and the Holy Ghost Society.
Joe loved to cook chowder for any event and always cooked a wonderful ham on Christmas Day. His life was entirely lived for others.
He leaves three children, Michael Tiexiera (Lisa Powell), Steven Tiexiera (Eileen) and Cheryl Page (John) all of Jamestown; two step-children, Timothy Duffy (Christine) of Holly Springs, NC and Sarah Tighe (David Miranda) of Voluntown, CT; two sisters, Linda Clarke (Archie) of Jamestown and Mary Lou Ramos (William) of Portsmouth, VA; sixteen grandchildren Jennifer, Phillip, Beth, Mark, Emily, Molly, Rebekah, Kyle, Christian, Tyler, Daniel, Joshua, Kelsey, Christopher, Alexandra and Diana; three great-grandchildren, Noah, Tegan and Jackson; and many nieces and nephews. He was the brother of the late Shirley Quattromani and Lenore Patricia Tiexiera.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Saturday, March 9, 2019 at 10am in St. Mark Church, 60 Narragansett Avenue, Jamestown. Burial with Military Honors will follow in St. Mark Cemetery. Visiting hours Friday from 4-8pm in the FAGAN-QUINN Funeral Home, 825 Boston Neck Road, North Kingstown. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions to the Jamestown Fire Department will be appreciated.