Owner of Encore Café in Westerly, James Edwin Wilkinson, Dies at 54

Saturday, October 23, 2021

Iannotti Funeral Home

 

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James Edwin Wilkinson (1967-2021)

Our beloved brother, James Edwin Wilkinson age 54, took his last trip on Saturday, October 16, 2021 to be with our dearly missed mother.

Jim was born in Norwich, CT to Harry “Jim” Wilkinson and Patricia Cecelia Carroll.

Attending schools in Griswold, CT and West Warwick, RI he made many friends in both places. He loved to cook and owned Encore Café in Westerly, RI. He enjoyed refurbishing, bringing the luster and beauty back for neglected pieces of furniture. His extensive travels took him to 49 of the 50 US States and many foreign countries. He spoke fondly of the beauty of Holland and tulips in the springtime and the majestic grandeur of the Australian outback. Later he lived in Cedar Rapids, IA for several years enjoying the smell of Captain Crunch cereal and the people whom he made friends with there. Most of all, he loved the time he spent with his nephews and nieces making time to take them camping, apple picking, beach bathing, or a simple meal of breakfast or lunch. He was “wicked” and loved making everyone laugh to help them forget their problems for a little bit.

Jim leaves behind his three sisters, Catherine and Gary Zahn of Pennington, NJ; Patricia and Joseph Gil of Stonington, CT; and Sandra and Linwood Lamb of  North Franklin, CT with whom he made his home. Mourning his loss are his nephews and nieces Joseph and Missy Gil (Nathan and Matthew) of Canterbury, CT; Jerry and Bethany Gil (Ava, Madison, and Copper) of Old Lyme, CT; Maureen Zahn of Austin, TX; Justine and Tom Niles (Abel, Myley, Madison and Jaxon) of Mystic, CT; Melanie Lamb of Southbridge, MA; and Charles Lamb of North Franklin, CT. He leaves several cousins and ten step-brothers and sisters.

Graveside services will be held at 11:00 am on Tuesday, October 26, 2021 at Notre Dame Cemetery, 137 Burlingame Road, West Warwick, RI.

In lieu of flowers and cards, donations can be made to the American Heart Association.

Arrangements are with the Iannotti Funeral Home at Maple Root in Coventry. 

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of James Edwin Wilkinson, please visit the floral store.


Upon discharge from the military in 1955, Robert A. Iannotti Sr. took advantage of the GI Bill and attended the New England Institute of Applied Arts and Sciences. In 1958, he, his mother and brothers established the Robert A. Iannotti Funeral Home, with him as director. In 1961, he also opened Reliable Realty Company to sustain his family while the funeral home was being established.  In 1977, Robert bought his brother’s interest in the funeral home, and in the early 1980s his two sons, Robert Jr. and Thomas Iannotti, both entered into their father’s business.

Throughout the next several decades, Iannotti Funeral Home has grown to be the largest funeral home in the community, serving all families with respect and dignity. Registered funeral director James Morel joined the funeral home in 2005, bringing with him years of professional expertise and compassion. In 2009, Robert Jr. became president and owner of the funeral home, with his wife, Kim D. Iannotti, and his son, Robert III. Robert III became a third-generation funeral director when he earned his license in 2012. 

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