{"id":11165,"date":"2017-11-26T14:35:54","date_gmt":"2017-11-26T21:35:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/?p=11165"},"modified":"2020-12-08T12:01:13","modified_gmt":"2020-12-08T19:01:13","slug":"remembering-joe-tremblay-we-will-not-see-his-likes-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/?p=11165","title":{"rendered":"Remembering Joe Tremblay of Newport, Rhode Island. We will not see his likes again"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"padding-bottom:20px; padding-top:10px;\" class=\"hupso-share-buttons\"><!-- Hupso Share Buttons - https:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/ --><a class=\"hupso_toolbar\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/\"><img src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/buttons\/share-medium.png\" style=\"border:0px; padding-top: 5px; float:left;\" alt=\"Share Button\"\/><\/a><script type=\"text\/javascript\">var hupso_services_t=new Array(\"Twitter\",\"Facebook\",\"Google Plus\",\"Pinterest\",\"Linkedin\",\"StumbleUpon\",\"Digg\",\"Reddit\",\"Bebo\",\"Delicious\");var hupso_background_t=\"#EAF4FF\";var hupso_border_t=\"#66CCFF\";var hupso_toolbar_size_t=\"medium\";var hupso_image_folder_url = \"\";var hupso_url_t=\"\";var hupso_title_t=\"Remembering%20Joe%20Tremblay%20of%20Newport%2C%20Rhode%20Island.%20We%20will%20not%20see%20his%20likes%20again\";<\/script><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/js\/share_toolbar.js\"><\/script><!-- Hupso Share Buttons --><\/div><p><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Joe-Tremblay-Headshot.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright wp-image-11167\" src=\"http:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Joe-Tremblay-Headshot-270x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"254\" height=\"283\" srcset=\"https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Joe-Tremblay-Headshot-270x300.jpg 270w, https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Joe-Tremblay-Headshot-920x1024.jpg 920w, https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Joe-Tremblay-Headshot-768x854.jpg 768w, https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Joe-Tremblay-Headshot-800x890.jpg 800w, https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Joe-Tremblay-Headshot.jpg 1368w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 254px) 100vw, 254px\" \/><\/a>By Peter Lance Nov. 26th 2020<\/strong>. On this day of thanks, I&#8217;d like to thank my amazing first cousin Joe Tremblay who left this world on Sunday, November 22nd at the age of 73. Years ago in Reader&#8217;s Digest there was a regular series of articles called, &#8220;The most unforgettable character I ever met&#8221; and, having roamed the world as a reporter for the last fifty years, I have to say that Joseph Francis Tremblay takes the number one spot on my list. After news of his death came I made this attempt at an obit with the help of my cousin Sheila who was responsible in the last many years for insuring that Joe lived a full and productive life:<\/p>\n<p><strong>Newport, RI Nov. 22nd 2020.<\/strong> Joe Tremblay, a well-known Newport sports fan, who, for decades never missed a game at Cardines Field, had a remarkable record predicting sporting events and interviewed some of America\u2019s greatest athletes including Ted Williams and Arthur Ashe, died Sunday at the age of 73. He had recently recovered from a serious fall when it was learned that he suffered from advanced pancreatic cancer.<\/p>\n<p>Afflicted early in life with both Cerebral Palsy and Epilepsy, Joe overcame his physical adversities and went on to great accomplishment thanks to the James L. Maher Center, where he thrived at summer camps as a child and learned the job skills that secured him employment at a number of Newport institutions over the next five decades, including the Sheraton Islander, now Gurney\u2019s, The Treadway Resort &amp; Marina, and the YMCA. He also worked for many years in the Galley at The Naval Health Clinic.<\/p>\n<p>Joe\u2019s love of sports came from his parents, the late Rita and Joseph Tremblay, who first lived on Congdon Avenue and coached a Little League team, \u201cThe Point Section,\u201d for which Joe played shortstop at the age of eight in 1955. Two years later Joe also became a loyal member of \u201cThe Ancient Mariners,\u201d fife and drum corps. Later, at Thompson Junior High he co-managed the football, basketball and baseball teams.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Screen-Shot-2020-11-26-at-1.31.59-PM.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-11171\" src=\"http:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Screen-Shot-2020-11-26-at-1.31.59-PM-864x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"592\" srcset=\"https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Screen-Shot-2020-11-26-at-1.31.59-PM-864x1024.jpg 864w, https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Screen-Shot-2020-11-26-at-1.31.59-PM-253x300.jpg 253w, https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Screen-Shot-2020-11-26-at-1.31.59-PM-768x910.jpg 768w, https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Screen-Shot-2020-11-26-at-1.31.59-PM-800x948.jpg 800w, https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Screen-Shot-2020-11-26-at-1.31.59-PM.jpg 1126w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>In 1961 at the age of 14, he was photographed with his mother Rita in this photo of President and Mrs. Kennedy leaving St. Mary\u2019s Church. Shot by White House Photographer Robert Knudsen, it was featured in the brochure for \u201cReturn to Camelot,\u201d the church\u2019s permanent exhibit on the Kennedys created in 2017. During the exhibit\u2019s opening ceremony, Joe was interviewed by WJAR-TV for his memories of that day.<\/p>\n<p>Over the years Joe became a fixture in every major Newport parade, often walking in the front line with mayors, congressmen, senators and governors.<\/p>\n<p>In 1968, Joe was attending The Beacon Hill Day Camp for developmentally disabled youngsters when legendary folk singer Joan Baez, then performing at The Newport Folk Festival, visited and singled him out for a dance.<\/p>\n<p>Joe enjoyed playing sports almost as much as he loved covering them. In a 1975 year-end highlights story in The Newport Daily News, he was cited for his two free throws with 20 seconds on the clock to help the Middletown Blue Raiders clinch a basketball game against The Sudbury (Mass.) Raiders in the fourth annual New England Handicapped Tournament in Laconia, New Hampshire.<\/p>\n<p>In the spring of 1976 he dressed up as Flintstone character Barney Rubble to entertain children during the March of Dimes Walk-A-Thon at Freebody Park. <a href=\"http:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Screen-Shot-2020-11-26-at-1.01.04-PM.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright wp-image-11168\" src=\"http:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Screen-Shot-2020-11-26-at-1.01.04-PM-1024x734.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"468\" height=\"335\" srcset=\"https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Screen-Shot-2020-11-26-at-1.01.04-PM-1024x734.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Screen-Shot-2020-11-26-at-1.01.04-PM-300x215.jpg 300w, https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Screen-Shot-2020-11-26-at-1.01.04-PM-768x550.jpg 768w, https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Screen-Shot-2020-11-26-at-1.01.04-PM-800x573.jpg 800w, https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Screen-Shot-2020-11-26-at-1.01.04-PM.jpg 1482w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 468px) 100vw, 468px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>In 1986, the late <em>Providence Journal<\/em> sportswriter Bob Leddy did a piece on Joe\u00a0 which began, \u201cJoe Tremblay is a sports buff who not only goes to games but predicts them as well. He\u2019s been forecasting outcomes of Aquidneck Island sport events since the early 1970\u2019s. By his own count Tremblay has made 13,363 predictions (and) of that 9,147 have been correct for a 68 percent accuracy rate.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Over the years, when it came to predicting the outcome of college and professional competitions, Joe\u2019s success average was in the low 70\u2019s. \u201cBut being a sports prognosticator is only part of Joe\u2019s story,\u201d wrote Leddy, \u201che\u2019s done interviews with dozens of subjects from Arthur Ashe to Rico Petrocelli.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Using his own tape recorder, Joe would track down sports greats visiting the city. The highlight came in 1978 when he did an extensive interview with Ted William as \u201cthe Splendid Splinter\u201d visited Crest Farms on Broadway, which was owned by friends.<\/p>\n<p>According to Leddy, \u201cThe first thing Ted said was, \u2018Where is the young man who wanted to interview me?\u201d When Joe, then 29, held up his mike. Williams told him how the greatest thrill of his career was his home run in the 1941 All Star Game in Detroit in the 9<sup>th<\/sup> inning with two out, two players on base and two runs down.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Joe was indefatigable. When he heard that Yogi Berra would be at McCoy Stadium in Pawtucket to watch his son play, Tremblay got him on tape before any of the professional sportscasters. <a href=\"http:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Screen-Shot-2020-11-26-at-1.01.15-PM.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright wp-image-11166\" src=\"http:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Screen-Shot-2020-11-26-at-1.01.15-PM-1024x850.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"493\" height=\"409\" srcset=\"https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Screen-Shot-2020-11-26-at-1.01.15-PM-1024x850.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Screen-Shot-2020-11-26-at-1.01.15-PM-300x249.jpg 300w, https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Screen-Shot-2020-11-26-at-1.01.15-PM-768x638.jpg 768w, https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Screen-Shot-2020-11-26-at-1.01.15-PM-800x664.jpg 800w, https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Screen-Shot-2020-11-26-at-1.01.15-PM.jpg 1084w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 493px) 100vw, 493px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>He made the <em>Journal-Bulletin<\/em> again in 1989 when reporter Andrew Nash pointed out\u00a0 how Joe regularly\u00a0 passed the Donation Bucket at Cardines, campaigned to get lights for night games at the field and vigorously protested when the City considered paving the field for a parking lot.<\/p>\n<p>Joe wasn\u2019t afraid to voice his criticism at the media as well. That same year he chided <em>The Journal<\/em> for its reduced coverage of The Sunset League which he pointed out was \u201cThe oldest baseball League in America.\u201d He was also outspoken when local football coaches began awarding \u201cfive points for tie games\u201d and he criticized various football trades by The Patriots management.<\/p>\n<p>When he finally got a sports cable subscription in 1987 Joe, who was becoming a curmudgeon even then, declared in a letter to <em>The Newport Daily News<\/em> that he was now happy that he didn\u2019t have to listen to Celtics play-by-play man Johnny Most, because \u201cHe never gives the other teams credit when they beat the Celtics.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Calling balls and strikes and always commenting without fear or favor, Joe\u2019s predictions and win-loss record on every sport from NCAA basketball to The America\u2019s Cup were published for years in George Donnelly\u2019s column in <em>The Daily News<\/em>. He was also a regular call-in guest on WADK\u2019s talk shows. But in the late 1980\u2019s, for unknown reasons, his predictions stopped showing up in the local media, prompting dozens of loyal fans to write letters-to-the-editor in Joe\u2019s support.<\/p>\n<p>One in <em>The Daily News<\/em> from Gretchen Lendrum discussed how she mourned the loss of authentic voices like Joe\u2019s as Newport emerged more and more as a tourist destination. Commenting on his dedication, she remembered a \u201cbitterly cold November day\u201d when she encountered Joe walking miles from his home to Gaudet Field for a game, then, when she offered him a ride, he accurately predicted Middletown\u2019s win. \u201cNewport has lost much in the way of progress,\u201d she wrote, Must we now lose our Joe too?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Joseph Francis Tremblay was born on July 29<sup>th<\/sup>, 1947. In 1960 he moved with his parents to 9 Calvert Street. Since his retirement eight years ago he made daily walks down Broadway where he was a devoted patron of several restaurants, particularly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thefifthri.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The Fifth Element,<\/a> where he will be missed.<\/p>\n<p>He is survived by his maternal first cousins: Sheila Tyler and her husband Harlen Tyler, of Newport, Mary Lance and her husband Ben Daitz of Corrales, NM, and Peter Lance of Santa Barbara, CA, as well as his paternal first cousins, Carol Cote of St. Louis, MO and Susan Ramos and her husband Donald of Washington State.<\/p>\n<p>The wake will be Saturday, November 28<sup>th<\/sup> at Memorial Funeral Home from 2:00 to 4:30 pm. Burial will be private. In Lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in Joe\u2019s name to The Maher Center at <a href=\"https:\/\/mahercenter.org\/donate\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">mahercenter.org\/donate<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div style=\"padding-bottom:20px; padding-top:10px;\" class=\"hupso-share-buttons\"><!-- Hupso Share Buttons - https:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/ --><a class=\"hupso_toolbar\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/\"><img src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/buttons\/share-medium.png\" style=\"border:0px; padding-top: 5px; float:left;\" alt=\"Share Button\"\/><\/a><script type=\"text\/javascript\">var hupso_services_t=new Array(\"Twitter\",\"Facebook\",\"Google Plus\",\"Pinterest\",\"Linkedin\",\"StumbleUpon\",\"Digg\",\"Reddit\",\"Bebo\",\"Delicious\");var hupso_background_t=\"#EAF4FF\";var hupso_border_t=\"#66CCFF\";var hupso_toolbar_size_t=\"medium\";var hupso_image_folder_url = \"\";var hupso_url_t=\"\";var hupso_title_t=\"Remembering%20Joe%20Tremblay%20of%20Newport%2C%20Rhode%20Island.%20We%20will%20not%20see%20his%20likes%20again\";<\/script><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/js\/share_toolbar.js\"><\/script><!-- Hupso Share Buttons --><\/div><p>By Peter Lance Nov. 26th 2020. On this day of thanks, I&#8217;d like to thank my amazing first cousin Joe Tremblay who left this world on Sunday, November 22nd at the age of 73. Years ago in Reader&#8217;s Digest there was a regular series of articles called, &#8220;The most unforgettable character I ever met&#8221; and, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":11170,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[7],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11165"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11165"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11165\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11188,"href":"https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11165\/revisions\/11188"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/11170"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11165"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11165"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11165"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}