John E. Furtado

Tiverton, RI - John E. Furtado, 81, of 8 Bluebird Drive, Tiverton, RI, died Wednesday, September 29, 2010 at Charlton Memorial Hospital, Fall River, MA.He was the husband of Bernice A. Freeborne Furtado. Born in Hudson, MA on July 5, 1929, he was the son of the late John L. and Jessie Perry Furtado. John grew up in Hudson, MA and owned and operated Johnnys City Service Station as a young man. He joined the Massachusetts National Guard in 1949 and served for 3 years during the Korean War. After the service, he worked at Raytheon in Massachusetts until transfer brought him to Rhode Island, where he remained. After several years at Raytheon, he was employed by Newport Hospital for 20 years, working in fire safety, security and hospital communications. After his retirement in 1989, he remained busy, working for several years in project management for the City of Newport and in construction. John also worked for several local auto dealerships, including Toyota of Newport, Newport Ford, and Newport Autocenter. Besides his wife of 38 years, he is survived by his children, John E. Furtado Jr. and his wife Monica of Coventry, RI, Jeffrey R. Furtado and his companion Holly Nicolau of Portsmouth, RI, and Francis W. Furtado and his wife Tracey of Portsmouth, RI.He was the brother of the late Helen McDonough.At the request of the family all services are private. Donations in his memory may be made to the American Heart Association, 1 State Street, Suite 200, Providence, RI 02908.