Walter F. "Wally" Pickford

passed away on April 6, 2020 of natural causes.  Mr. Pickford was a gifted writer and prolific storyteller.  After graduating from Providence College in 1966, he worked as a reporter for the Providence Journal and columnist for the Providence Visitor, the official newspaper for the Archdiocese of Rhode Island.  He later served as public-relations director for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Rhode Island in the 1980s.  Through his weekly column “Pick on Sports,” Mr. Pickford combined his unmatched sense of humor and love of sports to captivate readers on everything from the life and times of his childhood hero, Ted Williams, to the joy of watching a group of seven year olds learn to play ice hockey (“My nephew, Superblade!”).  No matter the subject or setting, Mr. Pickford never failed to bring a smile or induce bellyaching laughter to those in his company.  He was an avid Red Sox fan whose love for the team was exceeded only by the love of his childhood sweetheart, Marilyn Frattarelli.  The couple married in 1968 and together, they courageously battled Marilyn’s struggle with multiple sclerosis until her death in 1992.  Throughout their marriage, Mr. Pickford was a devoted husband singularly focused on Marilyn’s care, sacrificing personal ambition to attend to her daily needs.  Destined never to have children, he shared his charitable spirit and oversized personality with his nieces and nephews and as a “Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Rhode Island” volunteer. Wally and his Little Brother, Larry Guarino, remained a faithful pair and Big Brothers’ success story for over 50 years.

In addition to his wife, Marilyn, Mr. Pickford was preceded in death by his parents  Walter and Kay Pickford.  He is survived by his second wife, Margaret Pickford, brother-in-law Anthony A. Frattarelli, Jr. and his wife Joan, sister-in-law Annette (Frattarelli) Godin and her husband Russell, nephews Angelo Frattarelli, Anthony A. Frattarelli III (aka Superblade), Russell Godin, Jr., nieces Donna (Frattarelli) Buehrer and Michelle (Godin) Marcella, Little Brother Lorenzo “Larry” Guarino and his wife Carolyn, Godson Joshua Guarino, and countless friends.