Ralph E. Cirillo

Ralph E. Cirillo, Sr. was born on April 16, 1926 in Bristol, RI and died on Saturday, October 13, 2018 at the Philip Hulitar Hospice Center, surrounded by his loving family. He was the son of the late Marguerite (Lemaire) Cirillo Quataro and the late Louis Cirillo. A lifelong Bristolian, he attended Colt Memorial High School. At the age of 17 he enlisted into the US Marine Corps and was sworn in on January 20, 1944. He spent his 18th birthday in Parris Island, South Carolina in boot camp. A Marine Corps veteran of WWII, 6th Marine Division, he trained in Guadalcanal and fought in the Battle of Okinawa. He received the Purple Heart and many other awards including the Combat Action Ribbon. In addition, he participated in the ceremony at the surrender of Japanese military forces in the area of Tsingtao, China on October 25th, 1945. He was married to the late Helen C. (Cabral) Cirillo for nearly 60 years and is the father of Carol, Ralph Jr. (Trisha) and Kenneth (Peggy). He has six grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. He was the brother of the late Louis J. “Chi-Chi” Cirillo. He was employed at Kaiser Aluminum for 40 years in the shipping and maintenance department, retiring in 1983. He joined the Sansone Funeral Home staff in 1989 and continued in a semi-retired capacity until 2006. He was a past member of the Bristol Recreation Board and coached Little League Baseball and Pop Warner Football for 17 years. He was an inducted member of the Bristol Athletic Hall of Fame. Ralph was a communicant of St. Elizabeth’s Church where he served as an usher, was raised at and attended Masses for many years at St. Mary’s Church and was a past member of the Nocturnal Adoration Society at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church. Before Ralph became a resident at the RI Veterans Home in April of this year, you could find him out and about every morning visiting with “the guys” at our local coffee shops.
Funeral services from the Sansone Funeral Home, 192 Wood Street, Bristol, Saturday, October 20, 2018 at 9:00 AM with a Mass of Christian Burial at 10:00 AM in St. Mary’s Church, 330 Wood Street, Bristol. Burial with Military Honors will follow in St. Mary’s Cemetery, Chestnut Street, Bristol. Visiting hours, Friday, October 19, 2018 from 4:00-7:00 PM. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the RI Veteran Home Activities Fund, 480 Metacom Avenue, Bristol, RI 02809 or to Michael’s Fund, (Helping children and adults beat cancer through bone morrow transplants) .966 Walnut Street, Fall River, MA 02720.
For online condolences, shared memories, information and directions go to www.sansonefuneralhome.com

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