“May the road rise to meet you… may the wind be always at your back... May the sun shine warm upon your face...and until we meet again may God hold you in the palm of his hand...”
The words of the Irish Blessing are the rhythm by which James Michael Dwyer walked the road of his life. Through a little rain and lots of sunshine Jimmy lived the God-given gift of his life to its fullest. That gift of life here on God’s good green earth came to its close for Jim Dwyer on Tuesday September 15, the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. While Jimmy’s passing leaves a temporary rain cloud in the hearts of his family and friends; the sunshine that was the true hallmark of Jimmy’s awesome 57 years with us will lead to noting less than the proverbial “pot of gold” at the end of the rainbow.
James M. Dwyer, 57, a proud Woonsocket native, died on Tuesday September 15, 2020 at the Dwyer family homestead in Woonsocket surrounded by the love of his family. Jim was the beloved son of Richard T. Dwyer of Woonsocket and the late Anne “Nancy” (Stanton) Dwyer. He was a graduate of Woonsocket High School, Class of 1981.
Taking the motto “Aim High” to heart Jim served his country with the United States Air Force from 1981 to 1985. After his 4-year hitch was up and he received his Honorable Discharge, Jimmy was employed by Astra Zeneca Pharmaceutical Corporation for over 25 years. He resided a number of years in Westboro, MA before returning to Woonsocket.
Jim was a dyed-in-the-wool New England sports fan. Winters saw him rooting for the Bruins on the ice and the Celtics on the parquet floor at “The Garden”, Fall brought the Patriots to the gridiron in Foxboro and the “Boys of Summer”, the Red Sox, or more appropriately “Jimmy’s Sox” saw Jimmy live and die with the Beantown team, from spring training until the leaves turned color, Jimmy was all about the Sox.
Jimmy loved to immerse himself in a good mystery novel as an avid reader.
Jimmy had wanderlust as his travels brought him all over our beautiful country, anywhere from the lights of Las Vegas to the streets of the French Quarter in the “Big Easy”, New Orleans (where Jimmy was shall we say “wounded in action” with a broken ankle ! ). Jim soaked up the sunshine of the Caribbean and saw the countryside of Spain and many points (and pints !) in between. Jimmy was able to tread the "old sod" with trips to his ancestral homeland, the green hills of Ireland.
Jimmy was all about family. His life truly revolved around his close and extended family. Any chance to be together and have a good time was where you would find Jimmy. Right smack dab in the middle of it all. Some of the best times were the annual family St. Patrick’s outings and time spent on the Cape.
Jimmy was proud of his Irish heritage and it could be said with certainty that the “Luck O’ the Irish” was with Jimmy all his days.
Jimmy had a heart of gold. A special place in that great big heart of his was for kids. Jimmy loved being an uncle to his nieces and nephews, being a part of their lives was where Jimmy was at his best.
In addition to his dad Richard, Jimmy is survived by his brothers and sisters (they are not just siblings, they were Jimmy’s best friends… all five of them) Mary Berthiaume and her husband Charles "Chuck" Berthiaume of Woonsocket, Thomas “Tom” Dwyer of Woonsocket, Daniel “Dan” Dwyer of Cumberland, Michael “Mike” Dwyer of Woonsocket and Eileen Dwyer of Smithfield. Jimmy is also survived by his extended family of many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.
Everyone is invited to gather to honor and remember Jimmy at visiting hours on Sunday September 20, 2020 from 1:00-4:00 pm at the Menard-Lacouture Funeral Home, 127 Carrington Ave. Woonsocket. Jimmy will be laid to rest at a later date. During visiting hours everyone will be asked to kindly follow all RI Dept. of Public Health guidelines that will include masks, distancing and capacity requirements.
In lieu of flowers, and in recognition of Jimmy’s support for children, memorial donations may be made to The Tomorrow Fund c/o Rhode Island Hospital 593 Eddy St. Providence, RI. 02903 or www.tomorrowfund.org. The Tomorrow Fund provides a wide range of assistance to children and their families who are pediatric oncology patients (kids with cancer) through their time and treatment at Hasbro Children’s and Rhode Island Hospital.
www.menardfuneralhome.com