Educator, Legislator Neil A. Corkery Dies at 82
Wednesday, September 06, 2023
Neil Corkery, 82, of North Kingston, RI passed away on Sunday surrounded by his loving family after a valiant fight with Alzheimer’s Disease. Born in Lowell, MA, he was the son of the late James and Anne Corkery. Neil was the father of Michael Corkery of North Kingston, RI, and the late Christopher Corkery as well as the loving husband of Maureen Corkery for 57 years.
Neil was an educator, legislator, advocate, family man and friend of Bill W. who touched countless lives through his work with children and those struggling with addiction. Neil worked in the Providence School System for 30 years as a teacher and Assistant Superintendent and served in the Rhode Island State Legislature for eight years, before retiring in 1990. He was also the Associate Director of Government Affairs at Brown University, where he organized The Brown University/Providence Journal Public Affairs Conference.
Inspired by his personal battle with addiction and the toll he saw it take on his loved ones, Neil became a passionate advocate for drug and alcohol rehabilitation. During his time as a State Legislator, he secured funding for a rehabilitation center for young men, which was named Corkery House in his honor. He also served as the Executive Director of the Drug and Alcohol Treatment Center of Rhode Island. Throughout his life, Neil personally guided many on their path to sobriety and fought tirelessly to ensure those struggling with addiction had the resources they needed to recover.
Neil was brilliant, charismatic, and, to quote his son Michael, “the kindest man he had ever known.” Everywhere he went, Neil made friends and brightened days. He loved taking his cherished dog Sadie to Pastiche, in Providence, and Shayna’s Place, in Wickford, where he would spend his afternoons meeting old friends and making new ones. He was a voracious reader and book collector who loved to learn and spread knowledge to others. His love of the work of John Updike was well known, and over the course of his life he had the opportunity to meet him several times.
In the final decade of his life, Neil was part of the Memory and Aging Program at Butler Hospital led by Dr. Stephen Salloway. Being a part of this innovative program gave Neil 10 extra years of wonderful memories, and in the last year of his life he was able to see his beloved grandson, Eamon Corkery, of Warwick, RI, marry the love of his life, Emily and walk his niece Julia down the aisle at her wedding. His family will be eternally grateful for the gift of those final years that the staff at Butler Hospital helped provide. Neil has donated his brain to Alzheimer's research in an effort to extend that gift to others.
Along with his wife, son and grandson, Neil is survived by his sister, Marie Troy, of Rumford, RI as well as numerous nieces, nephews and Mullaney and Wittig in-laws who benefited from his love and generosity. He was predeceased by his sister, Anne Corkery. A funeral will be held Wednesday, September 13, 2023, at 9:45 AM in the Thomas & Walter Quinn Funeral Home, 2435 Warwick Ave., Warwick, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at St. Gregory The Great Church, 360 Cowesett Rd., Warwick on Wednesday, September 13th at 11 AM. Calling hours will be Tuesday, September 12, 2023 from 3 PM-7 PM. Gifts in Neil's memory can be directed to the Alzheimer's Research, Memory and Aging Program, Butler Hospital, 345 Blackstone Boulevard Providence 02906 Attention Memory and Aging Program.
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