2026 -- H 8239

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2026

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H O U S E   R E S O L U T I O N

EXPRESSING DEEPEST CONDOLENCES ON THE PASSING OF MANUEL PEDROSO

     Introduced By: Representatives Blazejewski, Solomon, Shekarchi, Chippendale, Ajello,
Kennedy, Fellela, Shallcross Smith, Hull, and McNamara

     Date Introduced: March 05, 2026

     Referred To: House read and passed

     WHEREAS, It is with deep sadness that this House of Representatives has learned of the

passing of Manuel Pedroso at the age of 106; and

     WHEREAS, Manuel Pedroso was born in New Bedford, Massachusetts, in 1919. Mr.

Pedroso was only three years old when he was taken to Portugal with his parents and brother. He

was raised in Alvados, Porto de Mós, and later graduated from the Escola Comercial e Industrial

de Domingos Sequeira in Leiria. Inspired by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and the

promise of opportunity and freedom in the United States, Mr. Pedroso returned to his birth

country in 1942; and

     WHEREAS, Mr. Pedroso settled in Providence during World War II and became a

skilled welder at the Walsh-Kaiser shipyard, helping to build liberty ships in support of

America’s war effort. Following the war, Mr. Pedroso served our nation with distinction for two

years as a member of the United States Merchant Marine, after which he returned to Providence

and married the love of his life, Marie Pedroso. Together they built a beautiful marriage and

celebrated 77 wonderful years together; and

     WHEREAS, For more than six decades, Mr. Pedroso owned and operated Friends Market

in the Fox Point neighborhood of Providence, which is now recognized as the oldest Portuguese-

American market still in operation. Friends Market was far more significant than merely being

another neighborhood business. Friends Market was the heart and soul of the community. It was a

warm and welcoming gathering place where Portuguese immigrants reunited and shared their

memories and exchanged stories about “the old country”, and how they built new lives and made

new lifelong friendships; and

     WHEREAS, Mr. Pedroso was affectionately known as the “Father of the Portuguese-

American community in Rhode Island.” He mentored countless new immigrants, helped them

secure employment, assisted with applications, tutored many who were preparing for their

naturalization exams, and sponsored many families to reunite them in America. He always

encouraged new immigrants to embrace American citizenship, to vote, to speak their minds, and

maintain their cultural roots and heritage; and

     WHEREAS, Manuel Pedroso’s immense contributions to our state have been lauded and

heralded in many quarters. Nobel Laureate José Saramago featured Mr. Pedroso in his series of

memoirs, Cadernos de Lanzarote. In 2019, Mr. Pedroso was honored as the “Man of the Century”

by the Rhode Island Day of Portugal Committee. In 2022, the City of Providence gave a portion

of Sheldon Street the honorary name of “Pedroso Way”, guaranteeing that his name will forever

be enshrined in the neighborhood he loved and cherished for most of his life. Mr. Pedroso also

received the “Order of Merit” from the President of the Portuguese Republic in 2024; and

     WHEREAS, Manuel Pedroso was an active member of numerous organizations including

the Pawtucket Social Club, the Cranston Portuguese Club, the Cranston Portuguese Rod and Gun

Club, Cavaqueiros, and the Club Juventude Lusitania Cumberland. He was also an honorary

member of the Portuguese Heritage Choir of Rhode Island and Our Lady of the Rosary Band, and

was a parishioner of Our Lady of the Rosary Church for 84 years; and

     WHEREAS, Manuel Pedroso is survived by his beloved wife, Maria Pedroso, and their

children, Manuel A. Pedroso and his wife, Jane Pedroso, and Eileen Maria Pedroso Afonso and

her husband, José Manuel Afonso. Mr. Pedroso also leaves behind his sister, Olivia Calado, and

was predeceased by his siblings Antonio Pedroso and Elias Pedroso. Mr. Pedroso also leaves

behind his grandchildren, Dorrie Eaton and her husband, Mark Eaton, and Kristen Pedroso and

her husband, Shaun Jones, Phillip Afonso, Diana Marie Afonso, and Andrew Afonso, and his

great-grandchildren, Kylie Eaton, Adriana Eaton, Noah Pedroso Jones, Lucia Pedroso Jones, and

Arabella Afonso Allen; now, therefore be it

     RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island hereby

expresses its deepest condolences to the Pedroso Family on the passing of Manuel Pedroso; and

be it further

     RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to

transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to Mrs. Maria Pedroso and Family.

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