Anibal "Sandy" Pires Sr.

October 29, 1930 - September 26, 2019

COLUMBIA – Anibal “Sandy” Pires, Sr. died peacefully surrounded by his family at the VA Medical Center in White River Junction, Vt., on Thursday, Sept. 26, 2019, at the age of 88. He is survived by his wife, Barbara L. Pires and his 7 children and their spouses: Barbara & Ralph Lynch, Anibal & Carol Pires Jr., Christina & Don MacFarlane, Christopher & Nancy Pires, Brian & Carol Pires, Antonio & Annette Pires, and Anna & Arthur Britton; 15 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren; his sister, Laurinda Jauhola, of Apple Valley, CA. He is preceded in death by his brother Leonel Pires Jr. and sister Lilia Campos. Sandy was born on Oct. 29, 1930, in New Bedford, Mass., to Leonel Pires Sr. and Maria (Linhares) Pires. He married Barbara Garcia in 1956 and over the next 7 years they started welcoming their children into the world with a new one each year. They lived in New Bedford until 1970 when they moved to Bridgewater, Mass., and where Sandy began working for the Massachusetts Correctional System as a Master Plumber. Sandy & Barbara raised their family there and the children remember it as a time of creating family traditions, laughter, love, kindness and lots of animals. Sandy was a father who encouraged them to pursue their goals, to love their country, to love God, and to push themselves to not only be their best, but to do it with honor and dignity. Sandy was accomplished at whittling and often made small characters called the goonie moonies for the children. He was an individual who loved running and ran the first Jeddah Full Marathon in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. He enjoyed traveling, seeing the world, and experiencing other cultures. He was a veteran of the Army and member of the First Infantry Division (The Big Red One) and wore the symbol proudly on all his hats and his vehicles. Sandy was a lifetime member and 3rd degree Knight of the Knights of Columbus. He had a strong faith and was an active and dedicated member of the St. Brendan’s Roman Catholic Church in Colebrook, NH. A funeral Mass is scheduled for Monday, Oct. 7, at 11:30 a.m. at St. Brendan’s Roman Catholic Church in Colebrook, with a celebration gathering to follow on the lower level of the church. The burial will take place on Tuesday, Oct. 8, at 1 p.m. at the NH State Veterans’ Cemetery in Boscawen, NH. All are welcome to attend and celebrate Sandy’s life. In lieu of flowers, expressions of sympathy may be made to the Coös Animal Sanctuary, P.O. Box 345, Colebrook, NH 03576; or to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St Jude Place Memphis, TN 38105, or online at www.stjude.org. The family would like to thank all the caregivers and hospital staff at White River Junction VA Medical Center, VT for the care, honor and dignity they showed to Sandy. Condolences may be offered to the family on-line by going to www.jenkinsnewman.com. Funeral arrangements are entrusted to the care of Jenkins & Newman Funeral Home, Colebrook, NH.