James Miller Sloan, Iii

James Miller Sloan III, Esq.(12 August 1930 – 14 December 2017)Attorney James Miller Sloan III, 87, passed away on Thursday, December 14, lovingly attended by the wife of 63 years whom he adored, Alice Donahue Sloan, and other devoted family members. “Jay,” “Dad,” or “Poppa” was the patriarch of a large and close-knit family. He and Alice raised three daughters and three sons, who, with their daughters- and sons-in-law, blessed them with 17 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren, all of whom survive him. Their children and spouses are Maryalice Sloan-Howitt (Arnold Martin Howitt), Cathleen Sloan Hood whose devoted medical care greatly supported her father (Donald Tucker Hood), James Miller Sloan IV, Kristen Sloan Maccini (Robert John Maccini), Peter Leonard Sloan (Christine Agnew Sloan), and Stephan Christopher Sloan (Lara Schaefer Sloan). Grandchildren are Matthew Alan Howitt (Melissa), Molly Howitt de St. Andre (Aurelien), Alexandra Sloan Nishri-Howitt (Lee), Mark Joshua Howitt, William Tucker Hood, Alice Harrington Hood (Jason Mello), Timothy Sloan Hood, Katherine McDade Sloan, Olivia Donahue Sloan, Robert Ian Maccini, Ava Catherine Maccini, Gabrielle Marie Sloan, Marguerite Anne Sloan, Mary Harrington Sloan, Arthur Robert Sloan, Quentin Christopher Sloan, and Eleanor Valentine Sloan. Great-grandchildren are Allison Mariah Howitt, Jessica Mirabella Howitt, Emery Durant de St. Andre, and Celeste Libby de St. Andre.Mr. Sloan’s sister, Marguerite Sloan Bailey of Newport, also survives him.Son of Scottish and Canadian immigrants, James M. Sloan and Marguerite Naud Sloan, he attended St. Pius School and became a proud graduate of La Salle Academy (1949) and the College of the Holy Cross (1953) before serving in the US Army Counter Intelligence Corps in New York City.Earning his law degree from Boston University under the GI Bill (1958), he joined the Providence law firm, Gardner, Sawyer, Cottam & Gates (later to become Gardner, Sawyer, Gates & Sloan). During 55 years from the firm’s offices in the Turks Head Building in downtown Providence, he built a highly successful real estate, land use, corporate, and probate practice.“Jim,” as he was known to professional colleagues, was general counsel to the Rhode Island Builders Association (RIBA) for 53 years, and real estate counsel to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence and AMICA Mutual Insurance Company. He represented several commercial real estate developers and contractors as well as individuals. Other major clients included The Sisters of Mercy, Forcier Industries, Marshall Contractors, Heritage Homes, and North Central Airways. He quietly provided extensive pro bono legal services to various Catholic organizations. He treasured memories of the years that his daughter, Kristen, practiced law with him and of the zoning work that he collaborated on with son, Jim.Mr. Sloan was active in civic, religious, and educational organizations, including the RI Jaycees and the Holy Cross Club of RI, both of which he served as president. He was a longtime parishioner and trustee of St. Augustine’s Church and was a trustee and board chair of LaSalle Academy, into whose Hall of Fame he was inducted (2004). He also relished the relationships he established at social clubs, including the Turks Head Club, Metacomet Country Club, Touisset Point Community Club, and especially the Squantum Association, which he served as president.An avid amateur sportsman, he was passionate about hockey, golf, sailing, tennis, skiing, and fishing. He also enthusiastically rooted for the Montreal Canadiens and the Boston Bruins, Boston Red Sox, and New England Patriots. All football was good.Mr. Sloan not only taught himself many sports, he taught them to all six of his children and he coached youth hockey. He turned the family backyard into an ice rink for all the neighborhood children. He was regularly reported to be seen returning home at midnight after a lengthy zoning hearing only to begin watering the rink to freshen up the ice…while still dressed in a suit, tie, and dress coat.One Christmas day, he brought 5 of his young children and 5 new pairs of skis to a local golf course and promptly began teaching them to ski. Winter thereafter brought family skiing excursions to the beloved Northfield Inn (MA), Vermont, New Hampshire, and Colorado. Winter vacations in Sarasota or Naples, Florida, also delighted, especially when travel involved private aviation. He loved flying as a private pilot and inspired all three sons to earn their wings as well. Up until his time of death, he was eager to be airborne again with pilot sons Peter and Stephan at the controls.Equally at home in the mountains and on the water, he also brought his family to memorable seaside summer holidays in Jamestown (RI) and on Cape Cod. Sailing with son Stephan, fishing off his dock in Touisset, and just being on the water with his family brought him joy.The telling of original bedtime stories with a riveting cast of characters was one of Mr. Sloan’s special talents. His “Olney and Whitey” series about a man who lived in the woods with his pet rabbit enthralled his children. Merry and Cathy adored the “Jeune Fille and Soeur” series, but did recognize that those stories sometimes served a didactic purpose.Alice Donahue and Jay Sloan met in Boston’s Copley Plaza hotel after a 1951 college glee club concert, and they were subsequently together for 66 years. Theirs was a love story. They were married at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Medford (MA) in 1954 and always considered St. Francis a special patron. In his last weeks of illness, Jay continued to remark often on how beautiful his Alice was.Mr. and Mrs. Sloan resided at 24 Superior View Blvd. in North Providence from 1969-2017 in a home in which he had grown up. Jay, Alice, and their children also spent many glorious summers at Touisset Point in Warren, RI, where three generation of Sloans have maintained summer homes since the 1930s.Visitation will be Wednesday, December 20, from 5:30 – 7:30 pm in the Russell J. Boyle and Son Funeral Home, 331 Smith St., Providence. A Mass of Christian Burial will be concelebrated at St. Augustine Roman Catholic Church, 20 Old Rd, Providence, on Thursday, December 21, at 10 am. Burial will follow the mass at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in East Providence where he will be laid to rest alongside his parents.In lieu of flowers, donations to St. Augustine School, 635 Mt. Pleasant Ave., Providence, R.I. 02908, would be greatly appreciated in support of the Catholic education Mr. Sloan so valued. SERVICES Mass of Christian Burial Thursday, December 21, 201710:00 AM TBD