Salvatore G. Azzoli, MD

Salvatore Guido Azzoli, MD, FACS “Sal,” born May 23, 1941 in Providence, RI, son of Isabelle D’Errico and Guido Julio Azzoli, brother of Marjorie Wolfe, died peacefully on July 29, 2026 in Orleans, MA.

He leaves behind his wife of 61 years, Geraldine Alma Palmieri, his three children Lora Ann (late husband James Feltham), Lynn Marie (husband Roland Desrochers), Christopher Gerard (wife Lisa Bienvenu), and ten beloved grandchildren, Nicholas (wife Sarah Sidlauskas), Michael and Emma Feltham; Ryan (wife Meghann Zapcic), Sean (wife Bethany Murphy) and Kyle Desrochers; Maxine Young (husband Austin Vitaliano), Isabelle, Francesca, and Lily Azzoli; and great grandchildren Vivienne Feltham, Oliver Desrochers, and Linus Vitaliano.

A talented youth baseball player and student raised on, “the Hill” (Federal), Sal graduated Mount Pleasant High School in 1959, earned his Bachelor of Arts from Providence College in 1963, and his MD from Loyola Stritch School of Medicine in Chicago, IL, in 1967. He married Geraldine, the love of his life, at St. Ann’s Church in Providence, RI in 1965. He completed an internship in Internal Medicine at Saint Vincent’s Hospital in Greenwich Village, NY, residency in General Surgery at Rhode Island Hospital, then served in the US Army (Major), 82nd Airborne, Womack Army Medical Center, Fort Bragg, NC from 1973-75.

Following army service, he returned to his home state to begin private practice in General Surgery which he continued from 1975-2007. Before retirement, he served as medical director of the Wound Care Center at Our Lady of Fatima from 2007-2010. During practice, Sal served on the surgical staff at Saint Joseph’s, Fatima, Roger Williams, and Rhode Island Hospitals with office hours in Cranston, and Bristol Medical Center. A renowned surgeon and teacher, Sal is remembered by colleagues for his steady and gifted hands, and trusted capabilities during challenging vascular and gastrointestinal cases. He is remembered by patients and their families for his kindness, dedication, and meticulous peri-operative medical care. During his career, Sal served on the faculty at Brown Medical School, won numerous teaching awards, and trained a generation of young surgeons.

When not in the operating room, Sal loved the outdoors. He enjoyed RI beaches and rocky shores, boated and fished on Narragansett Bay, and built a second home in Lincoln, NH for skiing and hiking. Sal and Geraldine enjoyed romantic trips to Bermuda, Italy and the Caribbean, and became connoisseurs of fine wine, and food, and Sal always concluded that the best food in the world was prepared by Geraldine. Sal was most happy spending time laughing with his family, including a large extended family for whom he will be remembered as an adventurous Uncle, good humored Straight Man, and trusted Family Doctor. Sal and Geraldine retired to Dennis, MA in 2010. His grandchildren will remember him as “Papa,” whose loving presence imbued summer memories on Cape Cod, and cherished Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, and wedding celebrations.

His family will celebrate his life and memory with visitation on Thursday, August 6th from 4:00-7:00 pm and his funeral on Friday, August 7th at 8:45 am in the Russell J. Boyle & Son Funeral Home, 142 Centerville Road, Warwick. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Friday at 10:00 am at St. Francis de Sales Church, 381 School Street, North Kingstown. Burial will follow in St. Francis Cemetery, Pawtucket.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital www.stjude.org/donate