Henry J. Nardone SR.

Henry Joseph Nardone, Sr. died peacefully at his home on March 18, 2022. His wife of 70 years, Mary Frances (Herley) Nardone predeceased him in 2016. He was the son of Dominico and Theresa (Pilosi) Nardone who emigrated to this country from Avellino, Italy in 1902. He is survived by his five children, Henry J. Nardone, Jr. and his wife Barbara of Florida, Michael A. Nardone, William A. Nardone, Esq. and his wife Diane, Robert H. Nardone and his wife Patricia and Andrea Frances Nardone, all of Westerly as well as eleven grandchildren: Henry J. Nardone III and his wife Linda, Jennifer McDonald and her husband Brian, Zenia Morrone and her husband Brian, Heather Pescatello and her husband Mark Zagol, Michaela Miceli and her husband Anthony, Alexandra Nardone, Robert H. Nardone, Jr., Christopher Nardone, Nicholas Nardone, Madison Nardone and Wm. Chase Nardone. He also leaves ten great grandchildren, Angela Nardone, Dominic Morrone, Alec Morrone, Jack Henry McDonald, McKenzie McDonald, Mia Miceli, Bennet Miceli, Mason Zagol, Ainslie Zagol and Callen Zagol. He is also survived by many nieces, nephews, great nieces and great nephews.
He was predeceased by his brothers: Gerard, Thomas and Joseph Nardone and by his sisters: Sarah Cardinal, Theresa Ballato, Mary Kathrine (Minnie) Burdick, Lena Robinson, Beatrice Smith and Anne Nardone.
Henry was a 1937 graduate of the Immaculate Conception School and a 1940 graduate of Westerly High School. He attended the University of Rhode Island, then joined the US Navy, completed Naval Studies at Yale University, and earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from URI in 1944, and completed Midshipman’s School at Columbia University. He was a member of Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity at URI. He was a Veteran of WW II and served in the Navy until 1955, earning the rank of Lieutenant. After the war he was head of the Physics Department at the Naval Academy Preparatory School in Annapolis Maryland. He and his wife then moved to Boston, and he attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he earned an advanced professional degree in Naval Engineering in 1952. Subsequently he moved back to Westerly and began his 37 year career at Electric Boat where he became the project office of the Nautilus, the first nuclear powered submarine. He continued working at EB in a variety of managerial positions, including that of Manager of the Quonset Point facility.
His community service includes his membership on the Westerly School Committee for 17 years where he became Vice Chairman and later Chairman. In 1972 he was appointed to the Rhode Island State Board of Regents for Education and remained on that committee when it was renamed The Rhode Island Board of Governors for Education, retiring as Vice Chairman. He had a long association with the Westerly Hospital where he served on the Board of Trustees for over 30 years and The Henry J. Nardone Community Center was named in his honor. He also served on the boards of the Westerly Pawcatuck YMCA, the Chamber of Commerce and the American Red Cross and was a Member of the Dante Society. He helped establish the CCD program at the Immaculate Conception Parish. In 2011 he and his wife were both awarded St. Edmund’s Medal of Honor for living a life of virtue in the spirit of St. Edmund. He maintained a lifetime association with URI as a member of the Engineering Advisory Council
and the URI Foundation. In 1993 he was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Laws by the University. In 1991 he was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Public Service from Rhode Island College. He endowed the Henry J. Nardone Family Scholarship in Mechanical Engineering at URI. He was an avid reader of history, politics and US Naval History. He was a long time member of the Seaside Beach Club where he enjoyed many summers with his family and friends.
The Nardone family will greet relatives and friends on Tuesday March 22, 2022, from 3 to 6 pm at the Buckler-Johnston Funeral Home, 121 Main Street, Westerly, Rhode Island.
The funeral will be held at the Immaculate Conception Church, Westerly at 10am on Wednesday March 23, 2022. Burial will follow at the River Bend Cemetery in Westerly.
Donations in his memory may be made to The Westerly Hospital Foundation or The Henry J. Nardone Family Endowment Scholarship at URI.