Philip E. Amaral, 87, of Middletown, RI passed away peacefully at home on July 7, 2025 surrounded by family.
Philip Amaral was born in Newport, RI to Manuel Amaral and Teresa (Pennachi) Amaral on March 1, 1938. He went to St. Mary’s and then on to Rogers High School, Salve Regina College and then entered the U.S. Air Force and proudly served for 20 years. He met his first wife Marie (Briclot-Gitzhoffer) Amaral in France, and they married in Marbache, France in 1958. They have two daughters, Michele Banks of Middletown, RI and Pascale Amaral of Portsmouth, RI. He leaves both behind along with his granddaughter Brieana Marie Banks of Middletown.
During his time in the Air Force, he was the recipient of three Meritorious Services Award Medals and nominated for the “Top Young American of the Year Award.” He served seven years in Europe, two years in Alaska, Guam, and several states within the U.S. with his family. When they settled back in Newport, Philip was a recruiting officer for the U.S. Air Force in Newport and received over 100 Recruiting Awards. After his retirement from the Air Force, he worked at Sears & Roebuck, AAA and was State License Examiner for 6 years. He also worked at the Newport Naval Base and then opened his own business “Amaral’s Driving School,” which he operated for 9 years.
He remarried his late wife Pauline (Soares) Amaral and leaves behind their step-son Aaron Soares of Massachusetts. They moved to Florida and worked for NASA at the Kennedy Space Center with Creative Management Technology, escorting Astronauts, V.I. P’s, and workers to shuttle launches for 15 years. They returned to Middletown to be closer to family when his wife became ill. When he could no longer care for his wife at home, she moved into John Clarke Nursing Home and he moved into John Clarke Retirement Center on the Assisted Living side to be close to her, which he was until she passed away in 2013. He later married Kathryn Dennehy-Amaral who he leaves behind along with her daughter Kaitlyn Dennehy.
Philip was the brother of the late William Amaral and late sister Elaine Oliveira. He also leaves behind his sister-in-law Sharon Amaral along with nieces, nephews, and cousins.
Philip had many passions and interests. He loved his family and friends, his cars, traveling, going on cruises, good movies, scooters, flipping homes and apartments, learning, dancing, music, great meals and had a passion for France, the French language and culture. He taught himself French, which came in handy since he married a French woman who could not speak English. He was also proud of his Italian and Portuguese roots. He was well known for his ability to mingle with anyone and within minutes, he would know a person’s astrological sign and describe all of their attributes, who they’d be best matched with and more often than not, he was on point. He loved the John Clarke Community, friendships he forged and enjoyed years of taking part in activities offered and most of all volunteering there. He loved a good laugh and great conversations.
Services will be private.
Donations in Philip Amaral’s memory may be made to Looking Upwards, Inc., 1184 East Main Rd, Portsmouth, RI 02871, www.lookingupwards.org/giving-to-looking-upwards-donate/ or John Clarke Senior Living, 600 Valley Rd, Middletown, RI 02842, www.johnclarkeseniorliving.org/donate/
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