RICHARD A. 'DICK JAMES' PAOLISSI

67, of Johnston, died on Saturday, October 20, 2012 peacefully surrounded by his loving family and friends. He fought a valiant and courageous battle with lung cancer. He was married to Dr. Gordon K. Cooper of Johnston, RI and shared a wonderful and remarkable life together for 32 years. He was a loving son of Concetta (Marchetti) Paolissi of Providence and the late Pasquale Paolissi. He is survived by two brothers and their wives and families. Robert Paolissi and his wife Cynthia and their children Christopher, Robert II and Samantha of Foster, RI; David and his wife Carol of Exeter, RI; and Richard's nieces and nephews, Rhonda, Stephanie and David of Exeter, RI.

He was a well known Rock &Roll lead singer and entertainer in the 60's and 70's. He and his three women backup singers and ten piece band was known as "Dick James & the Imitations". He performed all over the country after being recruited by a talent scout after the group performed at Rhodes on the Pawtuxet in 1960. He performed with such greats as Engelbert Humperdinck, The Chiffons, The Shirelles and the Marshall Tucker Band. He performed his last "Oldie Show" in 1988 at the Warwick Musical Theater with the well known group Tavares. After retirement from show business he became the manager of Supreme Pool & Patio in Foster for over 20 years. He went on to become the office manager at Adcare Outpatient Substance Abuse Treatment Center in Warwick, RI. He had been employed by Adcare Hospital in Worcester, MA for the past 15 years. He has been a great advocate for so many people with alcoholism and drug addiction issues and assisting them in maintaining continued sobriety. He was well loved by all the staff and patients at Adcare Hospital and he will be greatly missed by all the staff and patients. He was an excellent gourmet cook, designed custom made drapes and taught himself fluent French. He was mostly known for his "witty" sense of humor. He enjoyed spending leisure time with his two beautiful beloved Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, Adam and Eve. He was a loving talented and caring man who always thought of the welfare of others before himself and will be truly missed by so many people who love him so much.

His partner and other family members are sincerely grateful to the Center of Prevention Medicine and their wonderful and caring staff, especially Dr. Tad Stykowski and his wife Kasha. Family would also like to extend their appreciation to the compassionate staff at Miriam Hospital Immunology Group, especially to Dr. Angela Taber and Jennifer Collins. The family would also like to extend their appreciation to the Inpatient staff of the Philip Hulitar Center with special thanks to Claire and Susan.

Visiting hours will be held on Wednesday from 5 pm to 8 pm in the NARDOLILLO FUNERAL HOME & Crematory, 1278 Park Ave., Cranston, followed by a service at 8 pm. Relatives and friends are invited to attend his Funeral Service on Thursday at 11:00 a.m. in Highland Memorial Park Cemetery Mausoleum, 1 Rhode Island Ave., Johnston.

---