George Nolan, of Seekonk, MA and Eastham, MA age 93 passed away February 17, 2021 at home with his family at his side. He was the beloved husband of Carol (Cummings) Nolan, and they had recently celebrated their 63rd wedding anniversary. Born in Cumberland, RI, he was the son of the late John William Nolan, and Mary Ann (Loughran) Nolan.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by his son Paul & his wife Susan of Tiverton RI, his son Glenn of Seekonk, and his grandsons Wyatt & Garrett of Tiverton, along with many nieces, and nephews scattered throughout the world.
George was the youngest of 5 siblings; three sisters and one brother, and spent most of his years growing up in Pawtucket after his mother passed away when he was 11 years old. He once took a bike ride on his big balloon tire bicycle that probably weighed more than he did from there to Point Judith with one of his friends without telling anyone. His sisters were not too pleased.
After high school, he enlisted in the Army, and after boot camp joined the Airborne to endure the joy of jump school (like boot camp all over again except tougher). For reasons we still don’t understand, he seemed to enjoy jumping out of perfectly good airplanes, and hoping a thin piece of nylon fabric would do the trick of getting him down safely. He was part of the 11thAirborne, and after shipping out of San Francisco, he traveled overseas on a luxurious troop ship cruise. He spent most his time in occupied Japan, primarily in Sapporo. He loved talking about his experiences there - many of them sounded like they came right out of M*A*S*H. He, like all other soldiers, started out as a private, but through sheer grit, determination, blood, sweat, and tears, he scratched, and clawed his way all the way up to the rank of Corporal. He was honorably discharged - just missing out on his Sergeant promotion by days before heading back to the States.
After returning home, he needed to decide what to do with his life. It is rumored, that while at a party, a family friend named Mr. McGuire heard him discussing his future, took him aside, and said one word to him - “Plastics”. The rest is history.
His career began at Martin Plastics in 1952 in the Arcade building in downtown Providence. The company soon outgrew that location, and moved to a small building at 52 River Ave in Providence. There, under his supervision, and leadership it grew into a plastics display empire that shook the world - completely dominating that side of the street between addresses 50 & 54 for years to come. He called it home for 37 years before retiring from the industry.
He was an unassuming man, and was devoted to his family. He would let the neighborhood children play in the yard when they couldn’t use their own. He always volunteered to ferry his kids, and friends to sledding hills in the winter, to movies, or any number of activities that arose.
He was the voice of calm, and reason whenever a dispute or argument developed amongst family or friends. He was not an imposing man, but he was fearless, and would not hesitate to defend his family if the situation demanded it, and there were times he did.
He and one his best friends from across the street were able to argue with each other all night after a couple of drinks, and ultimately solve the world’s social & political problems before going to bed. Earth was a safer place because of them.
George enjoyed crossword puzzles, sitting on his porch in the warm months, having his breakfast with a cup of instant coffee (he preferred it over fresh brewed), gardening, yard work, a bowl of his father in laws clam chowder, watching the sunset at Sunken Meadow beach, lunch on the Cape Cod Canal, and fixing things around the house.
He loved sports. He could watch sports like no other. He could easily watch Hockey, Football, Boxing, and Baseball at home, and he could also do it in various stadiums and fields. There was no venue he could not master. Many times over the years he would go to his 2 grandsons’ baseball games, bring a folding chair to sit on, and watch them play. People would see this and be in awe, but he always shied away from the spotlight, preferring that the players on the field get the recognition instead of him.
George also had a “gift” of dropping bad puns into almost any conversation. Some would not call it a gift, but a curse. Unfortunately, this gift for better, or more accurately for worse, as many will point out, has been passed on to the next 2 generations. We apologize to all.
There was one thing however in this world that he prized above all others - Hot Dogs. The man could have had a personal chef in front of him offering to prepare any dish in the world, and we all know what he would have said. “I’ll have a hot dog”. Various condiments were acceptable as long as there was celery salt. He had to have the celery salt. On his 90th birthday we treated him to a limousine ride that took him to visit nearby family members, and his close friends in CT. He loved every minute of it. On the way home we stopped at a seafood restaurant, and he ordered a hot dog.
He truly was a wonderful man, and there are endless things we could write, and say about him, but there is one thing that sums it all up:
He was a really nice guy.
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