Phyllis A. (Iervolino) Martins

Phyllis Martins, 90, of Cranston, passed away peacefully at her home, surrounded by her loving family on November 20,2020. She was the daughter of the late Michele and Catherine (Fiandanese) Iervolino.  She was a loving mother to her three daughters, Kathleen J. Walker (her husband Mager) of Newton, MA.; Doreen M. Rousseau (her husband Mark) of Rehoboth, MA.; and Lisa A. Martins of Warren, RI. She was predeceased by her sister, Sarah D’Amico; her brother, Achillo (Augie) Iervolino; her brother in-law, Vincent D’Amico; and her sister in-law, Elsie (Mullen) Iervolino.

Phyllis was born on February 2, 1930 in Providence, RI and grew up on Crary and Bogman Streets, in RI’s famous South Providence neighborhood “before the construction of Rt 95 changed it forever.” The neighborhood was filled with families who were like family, and who remained life-long friends. For many years they all returned to Providence for the annual “South Providence/Crary Street Reunion.” She remained in Providence after getting married, but soon moved to Warwick, where she lived for 20 years and raised her family. In 1984 she moved to Cranston.

A quote in her Central High School yearbook described her perfectly: “Phil wonders why peg pants and unfriendly people exist.” Kindness exemplified Phyllis’ life. She lived her life accepting all people for who they were.

She was always friendly and willing to help anyone. After graduating from Central High School, she was hired as a bookkeeper for the Al-Kay Jewelry Company (in Providence’s legendary Jewelry District,) where she stayed for eight years until leaving to raise her family. She remained a homemaker until her children were in school, when she was hired by the Bulova Watch Company’s Payroll Department in Warwick. She took a position at Rhode Island Hospital as a Unit Secretary for the Orthopedic and Neurology floors (notably enjoying an impromptu, week-long“sleepover” during the blizzard of ’78.) She was like a mother to “her” nurses, secretaries, residents and even the attending doctors, who all loved her. She helped them through the early days of their careers. Many of them, to this day, still ask for her.

“I loved your mother because she was so good to me when I first started at RIH, navigating the issues in managing my post-op inpatients. I never forgot that. She was a lovely lady,” said Dr. James Pascalides.

“I loved Phyllis! She trained me as a unit secretary 30-plus years ago. I was young, nervous and naïve. She eased me into the hospital protocol and drama with a smile, a story,and often a laugh. She always told me, “don’t worry about it.”  Well, I’m still not worrying about it, thanks to Phyllis!! We laughed a lot even back then! Phyllis was my favorite kind of person,” recalled Alice Haynes, Nurse Practitioner.

Phyllis retired from Rhode Island Hospital after 25 years of service. After retirement she volunteered in the hospital’s Emergency Room.

Phyllis had a knack for making every occasion special. She loved cooking and impressing everyone by baking some of her famous Jewish Apple Cake, her humongous 3-layer Strawberry Shortcake and her never-ending Blueberry Buckle Cake for family and friends. Her daughter’s grade school teachers relished their annual Christmas fruitcakes, delicious and neatly bundled in a Chock Full O’Nuts coffee can.

She loved weekend shopping excursions (with her mother, sister, and the girls) to the great factory stores of the 60’s and 70’s in Fall River and New Bedford. Of course, no excursion was complete without a packed lunch. But the beach was the place where Phyllis could truly relax. Summerdays were spent at Bonnet Shores Beach Club in Narragansett. Even years-long construction on Route 4 and long, rambling detours through Davisville did not deter her, she was always the first to arrive and the last to leave the beach.

She especially loved music, whether it was attending Tom Jones or Sergio Franchi concerts at the “Tent” in Warwick in the summer months, or singing around the house to WPRO-AM. She even made a record as a teenager, when she recorded “Body and Soul.”  She loved line-dancing, “dressing-to-the-nines,” and made friends wherever she went. She was prone to telling more than a few risqué jokes, which inevitably led to her bursting out in laughter before delivering the punch line!

For Phyllis, there was no greater sport to watch than Boston Red Sox baseball. Immersed in each game, she dutifully recounted remarkable plays (which often prompted midnightphone calls to one or more of her children.) She took great joy in listening to Jerry Remy’s banter between innings. She regularly attended PC Friars basketball games with her best friend Mary Macera, and was a die-hard Boston Celtics and New England Patriots fan, usually cheering them on from home while proudly wearing the team’s colors. Let it be known that, in spite of leaving the Patriots, Phyllis was a loyal Tom Brady fan to the end.

As Phyllis would famously say, when ending all her phone conversations, “Well that’s the story!”

We will all miss her very much.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank the VNA of Care New England hospice and the Palliative Care staff.

Due to the current Covid-19 pandemic and limited gathering restrictions, burial will be private and visiting hours are respectfully omitted.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in her memory can be made to:

RI Food Bank: 200 Niantic Avenue • Providence, RI 02907

RI SPCA: 186 Amaral Street, Riverside, RI 02915, or your local animal shelter

A Random act of kindness in her memory

The Family of Phyllis’ Martins

PO Box 657

Warren, R.I.

02885