James Scotti, 78, of Warwick, Rhode Island, lost a valiant and dignified battle with cancer on the morning of Saturday, May 6, 2017. He passed peacefully in his home surrounded by family and loved ones. James Scotti, better known as “Scotti” to his many friends, lived his life as a loving and dutiful husband, a father who cherished his three daughters, adored his grandchildren, was a respected friend to many and a fraternal brother to countless in the firefighting community and the Teamsters Union.
James is survived by Carole, his wife of fifty-six years, his three daughters, Sherry Rabil, Debra (Robert) Pilkington and Karen Scotti, his grandchildren Ryan (Kristen) Scotti, Grant Pilkington, and Evan St. Onge. Also surviving him are his sister and brother Rosemary DeRosa of Coventry, RI, and Thomas Scotti of Florida. He is also survived by his many nieces and nephews. He was the son of the late Anthony and Victoria Scotti of Warwick, RI, and his late sister Anna Brearton, was also of Warwick, RI.
Jimmy was a gentle and unassuming man who was happiest when surrounded by family and loved being with fellow firefighters. As a life-long member of the Pawtuxet Volunteer Fire Company in Cranston, RI, and later the Special Signal Fire Association/Providence Canteen, Jimmy rose through the ranks of the company and served as the president and Captain of the Pawtuxet Station. He began working as a volunteer firefighter as a teenager and dedicated sixty- four years of civic life to serving the community and his fellow volunteers in his humble, yet noble and passionate manner. Generations of Rhode Island firefighters began their careers under Scotti’s mentoring as he was a knowledgeable and skilled firefighter. Jimmy was justifiably proud of his service at both Ground Zero in New York City in September of 2001 and in New Orleans, LA post Hurricane Katrina where his service to the first responders and citizens through the Providence Canteen helped to give aid and comfort under the most trying of circumstances and disasters. Within the volunteer firefighting community James Scotti is a legend and a valued and esteemed colleague who will be profoundly remembered and greatly missed.
Jimmy Scotti was the consummate family man who took pride in providing for his family through his hard work as a Teamster. He was a proud member of Teamsters Union, Local 251. He retired in 1991 and since that time he has enjoyed retirement with the love of his life, Carole, watched his grandchildren grow and tended to his treasured home in the Gaspee Plateau neighborhood of Warwick, RI.
Jimmy was born in 1938 on Bank Street in Pawtuxet Village and grew up in the Federal Hill section of Providence, RI and then later in Warwick, RI. For generations of children in Warwick, RI, Jimmy was a familiar face when he worked in his family’s business, Scotti’s Ice Cream. This venerable and landmark family business is known to many residents of Warwick, RI as being a part of their childhood memories of summer. Often recognized by legions of Warwick residents who grew up with Scotti’s Ice Cream, Jimmy was fondly remembered as being a symbol of goodness and simpler and lazier days gone by. By being deeply involved in his community, whether it was the Pawtuxet Volunteer Fire Company, the Providence Fire Department Canteen Truck, the ice cream business or the Johnson Post VFW Hall, Jimmy became a reluctant and somewhat public figure who never sought public praise or admiration, but who was the abundant recipient of respect, honor, and the highest regard from his family and many, many friends.
A funeral service will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, May 11, 2017 at Barrett and Cotter Funeral Home, 1328 Warwick Avenue, Warwick, which will be followed by a burial service at Pawtuxet Memorial Park, located at 100 Harrison Avenue, Warwick, RI, 02888.
Memorial donations can be made in lieu of flowers to the Special Signal Fire Association, PO Box 25009, Providence, RI 02905.
