Obituaries

Obituary: Donald W. Dunford, 56

Don was the beloved husband of Bonnie Slocum Dunford, a letter carrier and a freemason.

Donald W. Dunford, 56, of Walden Way in Cranston, died suddenly on Sunday, July 7, at Kent Hospital in Warwick. He was the beloved husband of Bonnie J. (Slocum) Dunford.

Born in Providence, the son of Freda (Willis) Dunford of North Providence and the late Donald J. Dunford, he lived in North Providence before moving to Cranston in 1993. Don graduated from North Providence High School in 1975, where he was a member of the golf team, and was a graduate of the Community College of Rhode Island. For the last 26 years he worked as a letter carrier for the United States Postal Service from the branch located on Front Street in Lincoln.

Don was an active member of DeMolay International. He served as master councilor of Hamilton Chapter, now Roger Williams Chapter, and was a past director of DeMolay's Supreme Council. He was the recipient of the Degree of Chevalier and the Legion of Honor.

He was a past Dad Advisor to East Greenwich Assembly #4, International Order of Rainbow for Girls and the recipient of Rainbow International's Grand Cross of Color. He was a past patron of Betsey Williams Chapter #20 Order of the Eastern Star and a member of Adah Chapter #15.

As a member of the Freemasons, Don was a past master of Roger Williams Lodge #32; a member of Providence Chapter #1 and Providence Council #1; a past commander of St. John's Commandary #1 Knights Templar; a member and past commander of Scottish Rite Valley of Providence; a member of the Rhode Island Shriners and its Director's Staff; Gaspee Order 99 of the Swords of Bunker Hill and the Red Cross of Constantine Plantations Conclave. He currently was serving as the Grand Master of Ceremonies for the Northern Masonic District of the Grand Lodge of Rhode Island. He previously had served the Grand Lodge as Grand Sword Bearer and as assistant sports director at the Masonic Youth Center in Warwick.

Don was a member of the former Roger Williams Baptist Church in Providence where he served was a deacon and an officer serving as treasurer and as Church Moderator. He was a member of St. Luke's Episcopal Church in East Greenwich. He was a member of the Country View Golf Club in Burrillville and its Inner Club.

He loved sports. He was a fan of the New England Patriots, the Boston Red Sox and the Montreal Canadians; a URI Men's Basketball season ticket holder and a former coach of CLCF's GALS softball. 

Besides his wife and mother he is survived by his two daughters Heather Dalziel Dunford and Holly Lyn Dunford both living at home in Cranston; one sister: Debra L. Smith and her husband William D. Smith Jr. of North Providence; one nephew: Andrew John Smith of North Providence and one brother-in-law: Scott Slocum and his wife Elizabeth of North Kingstown.

His funeral service will be held on Thursday, July 11, at 10 a.m. in St. Luke's Episcopal Church, Peirce Street, East Greenwich. Relatives and friends are invited and may call on Wednesday from 4 to 8 p.m. at Carpenter-Jenks Funeral Home & Crematory, 659 East Greenwich Avenue, West Warwick. A Masonic memorial service will be conducted at the funeral home on Wednesday evening at 8. Burial will be in Highland Memorial Park Cemetery, Johnston.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in his memory be made to the R.I. Rainbow Girls Foundation Scholarship Fund, c/o Lynn Gebler, 76 Buttonwoods Road, Wyoming, R.I. 02898 or to the Children's Dyslexia Center of RI, One Rhodes Place, Cranston, R.I. 02905.

To read the obituary online and leave a condolence message, 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