Lillie Paiva

Lillie M. Paiva, 76 of King Phillip St. in Portsmouth, RI peacefully passed on August 17, 2024 surrounded by loved ones. She was the loving wife of the late Manuel E. Paiva. Lillie was born in Arnett, West Virginia on October 1st, 1947. She was the daughter of Newton and Ruby (Hood) Cook. She grew up in West Virginia as an only child. She experienced tragedy early in life with the loss of her first husband Robert "Leon" King in the Vietnam War. She later moved to Massachusetts and eventually settled in Rhode Island when she married Manuel "Sonny" Paiva.

Lillie was a strong and loving woman whose family always came first. She worked different jobs including soldering at Raytheon to help give her family the opportunities she didn't have growing up. Shortly after she realized she had a passion for caregiving and became a certified nursing assistant. She worked many years at John Clarke Nursing Center in Middletown and eventually became a Medical Technician. Upon retirement she started working for Portsmouth School Department as a School Bus Monitor, which she enjoyed before becoming ill. She was an angel to many. Lillie was a member of the Downshifters Car club and enjoyed car cruises and shows in her Wilmington White Mustang convertible with Manny. She loved yard sales and antiquing, she was an avid collector of cookie jars and memories. Lillie is survived by her son Dwayne Paiva of Middletown and his 5 children Starr, Skylynn, Jadyn, Wynter and Caleb, her daughter Sunni Paiva Freitas of Portsmouth and her 3 children Isiah, Ethan and Madisson, her son David Paiva and his wife Natashia and their 2 children Audrey and Colton of Tiverton, and a sister Helen Stover of Beckley WV. Lillie is preceded in death by her loving husband Manuel "Sonny" Paiva and her first love Robert "Leon" King, her brothers Dale and Jerry Athey and her sister Dreama "Sissy" Athey of Beckley, West Virginia.

Visiting hours will be held on Tuesday, August 27 from 5:00-9:00pm in the Portsmouth United Methodist Church, 2732 East Main Road, Portsmouth. Funeral Services will be Wednesday, August 28 at 10:00am in the Portsmouth United Methodist Church.

Donations in her memory may be made to the St. Jude Children's Hospital https://www.stjude.org/donate/ or the Potter League for Animals https://potterleague.org/