Anthony G. "Tony" Rocha

Anthony G. “Tony” Rocha, 81, of Cranston, a retired Providence firefighter, died July 25, 2022, at
home with his family. He was the beloved husband of Paula (Pizzo) Rocha. 

Born in Taunton, MA, he was the son of the late Felisberto G. and Firminia (Vieira) Rocha.

Tony graduated from Hope High School where he met his loving wife, Paula. They became high school
sweethearts and later married and started their family. He served his community as a Providence
firefighter before working for several construction companies, and becoming a builder and carpenter. He was
the Crew Chief of Construction and Maintenance at the Miriam Hospital for 25 years. One of his greatest
accomplishments was building his home in Providence where he and Paula raised their family. There was
nothing that Tony could not fix. Ever the handyman, he always had creative and logical solutions for
home and auto repairs. He was eager and proud to help family and friends with their home remodeling
and repair needs. And if you needed a tool of any kind, Tony had one you could borrow, even if he
invented and crafted the tool himself. 

He mostly enjoyed spending time with family and friends, going to church with his wife Paula, and
socializing with other parishioners at church gatherings. He was a faithful parishioner of St. Raymond’s
Church and a devoted prayerful Catholic, spending at least an hour a day reading multiple prayers from
his very well-used and tattered prayer book.

“Tony” loved sports and was an avid athlete and sports fan. He played football and baseball for Hope
High School and recreational hockey and softball into his 40s. He coached his three children to become
varsity athletes in hockey and softball. He was a skillful and passionate golfer and a former member of
the Foxborough Country Club. He was a loyal and enthusiastic New England Sports fan.

He loved golfing, playing cards (he was well known for his savvy Hi-Lo-Jack playing), fishing, going to
the beach, and “tinkering” in his garage. He was a lover of all seafood, especially shellfish, and had very
creative ways of opening clams and removing crab and lobster meat. His “stuffies” and “Moonstruck
eggs” were favorites of his family and especially his grandchildren.

In addition to his wife of 58 years, he is survived by his children Sonya A. Pisaturo and her husband
Charles, Kyle A. Rocha, and Nicole Rocha Luguesi; his grandchildren, Andrew, Liv, and Charles Pisaturo
III, and Brendon and Ethan Luguesi. He is also survived by his sisters Barbara O’Brien and Frances
Howles and his brother, John T. Rocha and many nieces and nephews. He was the brother of the late
John and Mary Rocha, Felisberto G. Rocha Jr., Angelina Marmo, Mary Fontaine, and Theresa Mazzone.

His funeral will begin Thursday, July 28, at 8:45am from the “WOODLAWN” Funeral Home, 600
Pontiac Ave., Cranston, with a Mass of Christian Burial at 10am at St. Raymond’s Church, North Main
St., Providence. Burial will follow at Swan Point Cemetery, Providence. Calling hours are Wednesday,
from 4pm to 7pm at the funeral home.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in his memory may be made to HopeHealth Hospice or the St.
Raymond’s Church Conference of the St. Vincent de Paul Society.

Please share memories and condolences at www.WoodlawnGattone.com.