Joseph Scanlon

Joseph Scanlon, 85, of Tiverton passed away peacefully August 24, 2015, at home surrounded by his loving family. He was the husband of Jeannine (Pelletier) Scanlon. They were married for 63 years. Born in Fall River, he was a son of the late John and Eva (Armstrong) Scanlon, and brother of the late Eva (Scanlon) Waite, Margaret (Scanlon) McCarthy, and John T. Scanlon, Jr. He was a US Army veteran of the Korean War. He was elected to two terms as Representative to the Rhode Island State Legislature before serving as Administrative Assistant to former US Congressman Fernand J. St. Germain for 27 years. A point of pride in Mr. Scanlon's career was contributing as campaign coordinator in Indiana and California for Robert Kennedy during his 1968 Presidential Campaign. He was Vice President of Corporate Communications at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Rhode Island for ten years and was a member of the Board of Directors of Home Loan Investment Bank. A member of the Fall River Country Club, he served as its President for two years. A believer in public and community service, he led fundraising efforts for many organizations including the Fogarty Foundation, Catholic Charity Fund, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and the Rhode Island Heart Association among others. Besides his beloved wife he leaves three children, Deborah Janick and her husband Michael, Stephen Scanlon and his wife Linda, and Susan Scanlon and her husband Ivan Urrego, all of Tiverton; grandchildren Amanda and Sean Scanlon, Alyssa, Bryan and Elizabeth Janick, and Kayana and Chana Urrego, and many nieces and nephews whom he also loved dearly. There will be a Mass of Christian Burial on Friday, August 28th at 10:00 a.m., at Saint Theresa's Church, 265 Stafford Road, Tiverton. Visiting Hours will be held on Thursday, August 27th from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm at the Auclair Funeral Home, 690 So. Main St., Fall River. Donations in his memory may be made to Be Like Brit Foundation (belikebrit.org) or the Fogarty Foundation (fogartyfoundation.org).