Joseph Cambra, Jr., 73, of Fall River MA, has departed this life – Thursday, April 2, 2015. He was the beloved husband of Laudalina "Lynn" (de Oliveira) Cambra, to whom he was married for 55 years. Born in Portsmouth RI, the only son of the late Joseph V. Cambra and the late Sarafina Arruda (Pavao) Cambra, he lived in Fall River most of his life. After his mother passed away at an early age, his stepmom, the late Mary (Moniz) Cambra, raised and cared for him.
A hard working union laborer by trade, he was a member of the Laborers International Union of North America, with Local 673 of Newport RI first, then 610 of Fall River, and ending with 271 of Providence RI) after a 50+ year career in the construction industry. During this time he proudly served and represented the union as a Union Steward at many job sites on behalf of union members. Also being mechanically inclined, even in retirement you could often find him working on some project, as he was always active. If not taking leisure walks with his wife, he would enjoy venturing off in the early hours of the morning, sometimes with staff in hand, and walk for miles.
Known as "Junior" to his old friends, he enjoyed fishing & hunting, and was an avid bowler – playing in leagues and winning many trophies. Also an avid collector of coins and war memorabilia, he owned a coin & collectibles store in the early 1980s called Troy Exchange. Member and treasurer of the Tennessee Boys Club from below the hill, he had also been a 4H club member as a young boy and one of his proudest early accomplishments was taking first place in the annual fair – winning a blue ribbon that he kept till this day. Although he would joke and say, "Not bad for a 3rd grade education," he truly held a wealth of knowledge on many topics – a trait he often showed when he engaged in social or serious conversation, especially challenging his grandchildren on every day topics including current events.
In his retiring years and before his wife became ill, they enjoyed travelling to Florida, the Azores & Portugal, going on cruises, attending local feasts, and having family cookouts, as well as dining out with family & friends. But most of all he enjoyed any opportunity for a family gathering where one would often find him behind the camera capturing every moment on film, cooking on the grill (on the deck that he constructed all by himself), and making the best clam boil ever.
He was a tall, proud man with quite the sense of humor, stance, quick wit, and an old-school ability to keep his children in line. Later in life he often stated that he was living life through his grandchildren. He was the father of 8 children, 7 of whom will continue their journey without him, and the proudest grandfather of 15, and great grandfather of 5 … daughter, Pauline Fitzgerald, and her spouse James, their twin boys Austin & Tyler; daughter, Anne Marie Cambra-Bernier, and Steve, their children Zack & Emma; son, William T. "Billy" Cambra, Sr., and his spouse Kris, their boys Billy Jr. & Kevin Joseph; son, Joey Cambra, his children Amanda Cambra, Trisha Cambra, Tonya Stanton & Carmine Cambra, and Joey's 5 grandchildren; son, Eric Cambra, and his spouse Sandra; son, Paul Cambra, his daughters Krystal & Alysa Cambra; daughter, Debra Ponte, and her spouse Emanuel, their sons Robert Pedro-Ponte & Aaron Pedro; son, Peter F. Cambra, who predeceased him, has a son Peter A. Cambra (his spouse Crystal) & daughter Lily. He was also the only brother of Elizabeth "Betty" Colvin and Patricia "Patsy" Moore (both of Florida), and the late Pauline Cambra. He also leaves behind many nieces and nephews, including Bill Henderson with whom he shared a special father-and-son like bond.
He touched so many lives, including all his nieces and nephews who would refer to him as "my favorite uncle." A loving husband, father, brother, uncle, friend, he will be missed by many. …
His Funeral Mass was celebrated on Wednesday, April 15th, in Santo Christo Church. His cremation was private.