William Rowe Nolan

Bill Nolan, 85, passed away peacefully Thanksgiving morning at home on the Warren River with the ebbing tide. Bill and his late wife, Ida (Abbruzzi) Nolan met at the local ice cream shop on Main Street, courted briefly and married on September 6th, 1947, and lived a long life together for 56 years. Born in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, he was the son of Francis and Veronica (Borah) Nolan. He spent his early childhood in Touisset, Massachusetts, and received his elementary education at the one-room Touisset Schoolhouse on Barton Lane. He attended LaSalle Academy in Providence. At the age of 16, he was called to the Sea, and continued his education on the Narragansett Bay and the local Rhode Island waters for the next 70 years. Bill leaves 6 children, Katherine (Kate) MacDougall of Warren, Jane Shanley of Westerly, Margaret (Peggy) St. John of Narragansett, John Nolan, Mary Jackson, and Ruth (Poo) Carroll of Warren. He also leaves sons-in law Paul "McDuffy" MacDougall, George Carroll and Phil Shanley; grandchildren Jennifer, Jeremy, Brian, Katie, Billy, Jonathan, Peter, Tommy, Sage, Caroline, Maura, Susanna, and Georgia, and eight great-grandchildren. His sister, Ann Myers survives him in Ohio, and his brothers, Jack and Jimmy predeceased him. Bill's passion and religion was baseball. How he loved the daily games, the box scores, the St. Louis Cardinals, the Red Sox, the pennant races, and the damn Yankees losing! In his later years, Bill would sit in his front yard and welcomed all that came to visit his piece of heaven…the sailboats, working boats, rowboats, seagulls, ducks, passing up and down the Warren River. Bill leaves behind Skipper Scott and his many friends on the water. In later years rain or shine, sleet or snow, Bill would leave his home at 3 AM and walk to Sip N Dip, where Choppy, Tony the Dancer, Frankie, Jack the Painter, the Big Goomer, Larry, Louie, the late Professor and Harpo, and the lovely Ginger would make his day! Recently he made many new friends from the Beacon Hospice of East Providence. Burial will be private. Donations may be made to Beacon Hospice, Inc., 1 Catamore Boulevard, East Providence, RI 02914 in Bill Nolan's memory. On-line memorial is available at www.auclairfuneralhome.com.