Roy Royce Twaddle, III, age 77, formerly of Portsmouth, Rhode Island passed away on September 29, 2019 due to complications from Alzheimer’s disease. He was born in Newport News, Virginia, son of the late Roy R. Twaddle, Jr. and Bess Twaddle. Roy graduated from Rhodes College with a bachelor’s degree in Biology where he also played football and sang folk music.
In 1965, he was commissioned as an officer in the United States Navy. He was a veteran of the Vietnam War and held a variety of command and staff positions during his 27-year career, including commanding officer of the U.S.S. Nipmuc, U.S.S. Connole and the Officer Candidate School in Newport, Rhode Island. He obtained his master’s degree in Business Administration at George Washington University while teaching at the U.S. Naval Academy. He retired at the rank of Captain in 1992. He exemplified honor, courage and commitment throughout his military career.
After retiring from the Navy, Roy earned a Doctor of Philosophy from Salve Regina University in Newport, Rhode Island and taught at the College of Business, University of Rhode Island for nearly 20 years with expertise in Organizational Psychology, Science Education, and Educational Technology.
He loved sailing his boat, Sea Turtle, spending leisure time in Freeport, Maine, and enjoying the beauty of Aquidneck Island, Rhode Island.
He is survived by his loving wife, Gayle (Whitaker) Twaddle; two daughters, Theresa Gunnlaugsson and Sharon Twaddle McGinnis; one son-in-law, Thor Gunnlaugsson; three grandchildren, Rachel Gunnlaugsson, Ian McGinnis, and Rebecca Gunnlaugsson; a son, Paul Pearce, his wife, Liz Pearce, and their children, Sarah Gaines, Anne, and Catherine; one brother, Rob Twaddle and his wife, Susan; and, one sister-in-law, Barbara Freeman and her husband, Walter.
The family will be forever grateful for the wonderful care Roy received from the staff at The Communities at Golden Pond in Hopkinton, MA. A Mass of Christian Burial at St. Mary Church, 330 Wood Street, Bristol, RI, will be announced at a later date. His burial will follow in the Rhode Island Veteran’s Memorial Cemetery in Exeter, RI. In lieu of flowers, his family suggests a donation to the Alzheimer’s Association or the National Hospice Foundation.
