Joseph A. Doorley, Jr., 91, of Narragansett, formerly of Pompano Beach, FL, passed away peacefully at home surrounded by his family on July 31, 2022. He was the husband of the late Marilyn Joan ( Donnelly ) Doorley. Born in Providence he was the son of the late Joseph A. Doorley, Sr., a ladder 1 firefighter and Nora ( Cannon ) Doorley.
Mr. Doorley graduated from LaSalle Academy in 1949 and graduated ‘cum laude’ from the University of Notre Dame. After graduation, he returned to Providence to marry Claire M. Walsh, mother of their six children. Joe taught civics, algebra, and English full-time at his alma mater, LaSalle Academy full-time during the day while commuting to Boston College Law School where he earned his Juris doctor.
Living in the city’s 5th ward, Mr. Doorley won a seat on the City Council in 1962. Two years later, he became the youngest elected Providence mayor at the time serving from 1965-1975. His frugal management style lent him the honorific title “no dough joe”, and he was proud of the difficult, but necessary decisions he made to reduce the city’s payroll by 800 positions while mayor. Mayor Doorley’s crowning achievement was the Providence Civic Center, called by many “Doorley’s Dream” which opened for business in 1974. After retiring from public life, Mayor Doorley returned to his law practice along with working as the Administrator of the Rhode Island Legal Services Fund. The Rhode Island Public Service Employees' Legal Service Plan was established by Public Employees' Local Union 1033, Providence, an affiliate of the Laborers' International Union of North America, to protect and advance the legal rights and interests of eligible members of the Plan and their dependents. Eventually Mr. Doorley retired to Florida.
Mr. Doorley is survived by his six children, Joseph A. Doorley, III, and his wife Jane, Michael D. Doorley, Brian G. Doorley and his wife Ann-Marie, Dennis W. Doorley, Carleen M. Doorley and her husband Kevin Allen, Patricia M. Angell, his grandchildren, Kelli Doorley, Jaime Welch and her husband John, Vanessa Doorley and her husband Dan Dyer, Meaghan Rouleau and her husband Kevin, Robert Doorley, Dennis Doorley, Jr., and his wife Erin, Jessica Doorley, David Doorley and his wife Khiara, Samantha Angell and her fiance Greg Martin, his great grandchildren, Nolan Murphy, Noelle Welch, Aden Welch, Evan Doorley, Reagan Doorley, Callum Dyer, Beckett Dyer Kingston Doorley and Rhoen Doorley. He also leaves his sisters, Dorothy E. Chasse and Jeannine C. Vignali.
He was brother of the late Edward R. Doorley, James E. Doorley and Carol L. Doorley.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Friday, August 5, 2022 at 10:00 am in St. Pius Church, 240 Eaton Street, Providence. Burial will follow in St. Francis Cemetery, Wakefield.
