Obituaries

Henry Boezi, Town Councilor, Schools Champion, Dead At 69

He worked for the town for 32 years, then won a seat on the Town Council in 2004 and was vice president.


Henry V. Boezi, member of the Town Council and longtime resident of East Greenwich, died Saturday. He was 69 years old.

Boezi served as assistant town engineer for East Greenwich for 32 years. He won a seat on the Town Council after he retired and was just completing his fourth term as councilor at the time of his death.

"It's a loss for all of those who knew Henry personally and professionally," said Town Council President Michael Isaacs. "He was a true public servant. I've lost a friend in Henry."

Find out what's happening in East Greenwichwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Sue Cienki, former School Committee chair who served with Boezi of the School Building Committee for the past several years, said, "It's a huge loss for the community. He was an integral part of building the new middle school and the improvements to the high school."

His determination to improve the traffic flow at Hanaford School was so strong, she recalled, the drive that was built is named "Boezi Circle."

Find out what's happening in East Greenwichwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

In 2010, . . He said recently he wasn't running for re-election this year because his work was done.

Town Manager Bill Sequino knew Henry Boezi since Sequino came here in 1988. "Henry was like my goodwill ambassador," Sequino said referring to Boezi's years with the Public Works department. "When there was a problem with potholes or something else, we'd send him out. He knew how to reassure people."

Sequino also recalled Boezi's devotion to East Greenwich Little League. "Little League was as much his job as assistant town engineer," Sequino said. He was strongly committed to young people, Sequino continued, noting his work with EG's Bob Houghtaling over the years.

"Henry was the epitome of public service," said town GOP chair Chuck Newton. "He worked diligently for the town for more than 25 years and when that was over, extended his service by serving as a Republican office holder for another 8 years. Henry was always focused on the kids and was a fixture in the schools, from sports to serving the Character Counts program to classroom education. He was remarkable in another way: in my experience I never heard Henry say an unkind word about anybody."

Boezi was the husband of the late Teresa L. (Stockwin) Boezi. Born in Providence, he was the son of the late Domenico and Mary S. (Russo) Boezi.

He and his wife had six children, all who went through the East Greenwich school system. He built the house in 1978 that he was still living in on Jodie Beth Drive.

Boezi, a graduate of Syracuse University and Wentworth Institute of Technology, earned a Master's degree in education in 2003 from Roger Williams University and proceeded to substitute teach in Coventry and North Kingstown.

He was a Yankees fan.

Calling hours will take place at Hill Funeral Home on Wednesday, July 25, from 4 to 8 p.m. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Thursday, July 26, at 10 a.m. at St. Francis de Sales Church on School Street in North Kingstown.

"I will miss him," said Isaacs. "The town will miss him, and the council will miss him."

To read the full obituary, click here.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here