Mr Joseph G. Kinder

Joseph G. Kinder, Esq., a long-time resident of Bristol, R.I., passed away peacefully on September 17, 2019 at St. Elizabeth’s Home in Bristol. He is survived by his three children: Ralph M. Kinder, Esq. (Beth) of Providence, R.I.; Kristine K. Campagna (Jim) of Bristol, R.I.; and Philip F. P. Kinder (Blair) of Portsmouth, R.I. as well as five grandchildren: Jackie, Ryan (Sophia), and Nicholas Campagna, and Hannah and Grace Kinder. He was predeceased by his wife Linnea Pearson Kinder (2013) and his brother Robert S.L. Kinder, M.D.
He was born in Fall River, MA to Ralph F. Kinder and Marion Miller Kinder in 1931, their second of two sons. He was raised and educated in Bristol until attending Moses Brown School in Providence, RI, from which he graduated in 1950. He performed his undergraduate studies at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, VA, where he majored in legal studies. He completed his first year of law school as part of the program at William & Mary and graduated in 1954. He finished his legal studies at Boston University, where he was an editor of the Law Review and graduated in 1956.
After becoming a member of the Rhode Island bar and serving a short clerkship with the firm of Edwards & Angell, he married Linnea Pearson and became associated with the law firm of Armstrong, Gibbons & Lodge. He developed there a practice spanning over 50 years, specializing in corporate, tax, real estate, and estate planning law. He served as the Chancellor to the Rhode Island Episcopal Diocese and Bishop Belden from 1972 to 1979 and represented Almacs and many other successful Rhode Island businesses and the families that ran them. He was a member and fellow of the Rhode Island and American Bar Associations.
He and Linnea raised their three children in Bristol, where he was active in civic affairs and could conveniently satisfy his active passion for the water and sailing. He was a member of the Bristol School Committee during the period of its construction of what is now Mount Hope High School and was a long-time trustee of the Benjamin Church Home For Aged Men, the Rhode Island SPCA, and the Friends of the Rogers Free Library. He was an active member of the Bristol Yacht Club for most of his life and served as a flag officer for many years and as Commodore. He liked nothing better than competing hard to win a Wednesday Night Race in Bristol Harbor on his beloved “Cover Girl”. He was also a longtime member and past Commodore of the Twenty Hundred Club, while faithfully participating with his family and friends as crew in its annual races to Block Island, Cuttyhunk, and around Narragansett Bay.
His love for his hometown, friends, and country was celebrated annually with vigor at his home on the Bristol Fourth of July Parade route, highlighted with a Dixieland band playing on his porch and his ringing of his railroad bell to encourage the marching bands to play and the politicians to mingle on the porch with his guests in exchange for a cold beer or a cup of Fishhouse Punch.
Joe and Lin eventually traded the sailboat for long weekends at his cottage in the Bristol Colony on Prudence Island. Prudence and its unique beauty and personality became another passion in his later years. He spent many years as a director of the Prudence Island Utilities Corporation, working to upgrade water service on the island. In their later years Joe and Lin spent winters at their beloved “Pink Palace” apartment in Lauderdale-By-The-Sea, Florida. After Lin’s passing in 2013, Joe spent most of his remaining years there until moving to Atria Senior Living in Portsmouth, RI.
Joe also served for many years as trustee of the historical Juniper Hill Cemetery in Bristol and his memorial service will be held at the internment in Juniper Hill Cemetery, 24 Sherry Avenue, on Friday, September 20 at 11 o’clock am. In lieu of flowers, donations in Joe’s memory can be made to his favorite charities: RISPCA, 186 Amaral Street, East Providence, RI 02915; Friends of the Rogers Free Library, 525 Hope Street, Bristol, Rhode Island 02809; the Prudence Conservancy, PO Box 115, Prudence Island, RI 02872; and the Juniper Hill Cemetery, 24 Sherry Avenue, Bristol, RI 02809.
For online condolences and shared memories go to www.sansonefuneralhome.com


 

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