John D. Saillant Obituary

John D. Saillant, 92, a retired housing inspector for HUD passed away Tuesday, October 1, 2019 at the Veterans Memorial Hospital, Providence. He was the beloved husband of Mary E. (Legere) Saillant for 65 years. Born in Providence, he was a son of the late Emile N. and Sarah E. (O’Connor) Saillant. John was the loving father of John D. Saillant, Jr., Dennis W. Saillant, (Susan), Michele S. Boyd, (Patrick), Margaret S. Chace, (Thomas) and Patrick C. Saillant, (Carolyn); loving grandfather of Celine, Clemence, Theo, Corey, Christina, Kyle, Emma, Cara, Samantha, Elena, Daniel and Andrew; loving great grandfather of Noah, Oliver, Ella, Lincoln, Jackson and Reagan. He is also survived by many nieces, nephews, grand nieces, and grand nephews. He was the brother of the late Richard, Edward, Charles, William, Ginny Saillant, Sally Dunnigan, Claire Parker and Betty McLeod.

Fatherless at the age of two, and the youngest of nine children, he began working at 8 years old, carrying coal to help support the family through the Great Depression. He was proud that he didn't let the Hurricane of 1938 deter him from delivering newspapers on his route along Narragansett Bay. As a teenager, he traveled north to Maine in the summers and worked in potato farming. He attended St. Paul’s School in Cranston (although he always claimed that he went to the school of “hard knocks”). He graduated from Aldrich High School in Warwick but didn’t stick around for the graduation ceremonies. Instead he hurried to joined the Navy at 17, lying about his age to do so. He served on the USS Groton, or PCE900 (according to him “a ship so slow it couldn’t escort a slow dead fish”) as a radarman, cruising the Pacific, but saw no action. One night on his watch he fell asleep and woke up to a blaze of lights! It was the USS Arizona checking up on them. On VJ Day, at 19 years old and 150 lbs soaking wet, he was given a military police badge and told to keep order. There were white hats as far as the eye could see! So he decided to take off his badge and join the party. He hitchhiked his way home from California to Rhode Island after the war. He went to school on the GI Bill and graduated from URI with a degree in business. One day upon entering his brother-in-law, Jack Dunnigan’s insurance company, he espied a pretty bookkeeper, Mary Eleanor Legere. He was instantly smitten and would marry her in 1954. They were married for 65 years. Before working for HUD, he had his own construction company. He proudly built his own first home with Mary on Villa Avenue in Cranston, along with the neighboring houses of his sister, Ginny Saillant, and his sister and brother-in-laws, Shirley and Walter Cornell. Between the two families, there were 11 kids. It was a wonderful way to grow up. He coached Edgewood Little League for several years (the Yankees of course) and was a long time member of the Knights of Columbus. He enjoyed golfing and playing poker. He loved to build things out of wood, collecting curbside tables, chairs, and scrap pieces of wood to do so. Later in life, he became known for the hundreds of rustic birdhouses that he built for family, friends, and strangers. He was a lifelong New York Yankees and Giants fan. He had a dry sense of humor and a gruff exterior, but a heart of gold. He will be missed.

His funeral service will be held Tuesday, October 8, 2019 at 10 am in the Thomas & Walter Quinn Funeral Chapel, 2435 Warwick Avenue, Warwick. Burial with military honors will be in St. Ann Cemetery, Cranston. Visiting hours, Monday 4-7 pm. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions to the Disabled American Veterans, 83 Park Street, Providence, RI 02903, will be appreciated.