Obituaries

Joseph J. Nigro, Sr. of Quincy passed away in Florida on Wednesday, October 24, 2018 at age 68. A Quincy native, he had lived in Pembroke, MA, and Washington DC before retiring to Beverly Hills, FL. Joe retired as general president of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers (SMART) in 2015. Always a persistent advocate for the Union’s membership throughout his long and successful career in the labor movement, he started out as an Apprentice in the Sheet Metal Workers Local 17, Boston in 1969 and worked up through the union ranks serving as Trustee, Vice president, President, Business agent, and Business manager in Local 17 until 1999. Moving to Washington DC, he served as Assistant to the general president, Sheet Metal Workers International Association until 2006, General secretary treasurer until 2011 and as General president. After serving on the Finance, Organizing, Industrial Union Council, Pharmaceutical Benefits Management and Article XX Appeals committees of the AFL-CIO Executive Council, Joe and Mike Futhey, former president of the United Transportation Union, formed a historic merger between the United Transportation Union and the Sheet Metal Workers’ International Association into SMART in 2011. Joe was active in labor-management relations National Joint. Adjustment Board; a trustee of the International Training Institute National Joint Apprentice Training Committee; a member of the joint executive committee SMWIA/SMACNA; a member of the labor committee Standard Form Union Agreement; former vice president for Massachusetts AFL-CIO; and a member of the executive board union Label & services trade department. Joe’s outward facing personality complemented a humble, self-deprecating nature that led him to focus on “leading from the front,” which meant sharing the same burdens as everyone else.

The beloved husband of Patricia E. (Vecchione) Nigro, Joe was the loving father of Tina Marie E. (Nigro) Lowe and her husband Todd C. Lowe of Indian Trail, NC and the late Joseph J. Nigro, Jr.; dear grandfather of Devin J. Mulkeen of Indian Trail, NC; beloved brother John Nigro of Quincy, Marsha Golden of Quincy, Robert Nigro of Weymouth and Deborah A. Anderson of Braintree and the late Jeanne Marie Keefe and Barbara Gorman; and is also survived by many nieces and nephews.

Family and friends are invited to visiting hours on Monday, October 29 from 2;00 to 7:00PM at the Dennis Sweeney Funeral Home 74 Elm St. Quincy center. On Tuesday there will be a gathering at the funeral home at 10:00AM followed by a Funeral Mass at 11:00AM at Holy Trinity Parish, Most Blessed Sacrament Church 1017 Sea St. Quincy. Burial is at Pine Hill Cemetery, W. Quincy.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to: “Sheet Metal Scholarship Fund/Joey Nigro, Jr.” International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers (SMART) 1750 New York Avenue, NW, 6th Floor, Washington, D.C. 20006.