John P. Guilfoyle

John Phillip Guilfoyle III, age 71 passed away on Monday July 23rd after a courageous battle with brain cancer. His beloved wife Mary Margaret (nee) Sullivan predeceased him in August of 2016. John was born in Portland, Maine on July 14, 1947. His early childhood years were spent in the Boston area where his paternal grandmother instilled in him his enthusiasm for the Boston Red Sox, taking him to live games at Fenway Park. John arrived on Aquidneck Island in 1958 and graduated from Middletown High School in 1967. He served honorably in the US Navy during the Vietnam era and was discharged from active duty in 1968. He worked for the City of Newports Water Pollution Control division in the capacity of Senior Operator and Deputy Director and then as a Senior Operator at the citys Water Treatment Plant spanning a career of more than 30 years. Following his retirement from the City of Newport he worked in the Utilities Division at the Newport Naval Base.

With his disarmingly friendly and fun-loving nature John acquainted himself with people readily. He was a steadfast friend to those he knew well. His nurturing and playful spirit made him a favorite uncle to his nieces and nephews. He was a Manager for the Lions of the Newport Babe Ruth Baseball League during the late 1970s. He enjoyed an eclectic sense of music, loving jazz especially, blues, country, folk and rock n roll. He played the trumpet and tenor sax in his youth. Cooking, quahoging, fishing in Alaska, local sports teams and spending time at their cabin at Third Beach with Mary and friends are some of the things that he loved.

John also had a passion for vintage motorcycles, restoring his 1955 BSA Road Rocket and 1953 Triumph Blackbird with meticulous attention to every detail. He won numerous awards for his bikes. John did his own landscaping and grew his own vegetables; his precisely trimmed hedges and shrubs served as a perfect backdrop to Marys stunning flower gardens.

After retiring, John worked diligently as a volunteer at Fort Adams undertaking with other members of the crew the enormous job of clearing trees and brush from a section of the Fort that was so overgrown that it was not discernible when overlooking the landscape. That section is now open to the public for tours. He also volunteered for Clean Ocean Access collecting sea water samples year-round. He was a member of the Fort Adams Trust, the Newport Irish Heritage Museum, local Vasco de Gama, The National Association of Destroyer Veterans (Tin Can Sailors), the BSA Owners Club and the American Legion and many other community organizations.

He is survived by his nephew Stephen Wight, wife Carolyn, grand nieces Madison Sarah, nephew David Wight, grand niece Jillian, grand nephew Charles, and sister-in-law Noreen ONeil, Nephews Jay Sullivan, Thomas Sullivan, wife Michelle and niece Mary Lou Weiss, husband Gary. He also leaves his brother James Carlo of Vero Beach FL and his companion Patricia S. Murphy. He was predeceased by his parents John Phillip Guilfoyle and Modena Diane (Wentworth) King and step-father Matt King.

Calling hours will be held on Monday, July 30, from 4:00pm-6:00pm in the Memorial Funeral Home, 375 Broadway, Newport.

Funeral Services will be held on Tuesday, July 31 at 10:00am in Memorial Funeral Home. Burial will follow at Trinity Cemetery.