S 2005

2026 -- S 2005
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LC003669
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  STATE  OF        RHODE  ISLAND
  IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
  JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2026
  ____________
  SENATE RESOLUTION
  EXPRESSING DEEPEST CONDOLENCES ON THE PASSING OF ARTHUR ARMAND
  COIA
  Introduced By: Senators Ciccone, Tikoian, Lawson, Felag, de la Cruz, LaMountain,
  Euer, Patalano, Quezada, and Sosnowski
  Date Introduced: January 08, 2026
  Referred To: Recommended for Immediate Consideration
1WHEREAS, It is with sadness that this Senate has learned of the passing of Arthur
2 Armand Coia, the beloved husband of Donna Paolino Coia, and the devoted father of Christen
3 Corrente and her husband, Darren, and Arthur E. Coia II, and his wife, Jennifer, who are the
4 children of his previous marriage to the late Joanne Coia; and
5WHEREAS, Blessed with a large and loving family, Mr. Coia was the very proud
6 grandfather of Catherine Corrente, Nicholas Corrente, Caroline Coia and Arthur A. Coia III, and
7 also leaves behind his stepdaughters, Mari Bianco and her husband, Angelo, and their children,
8 Nicholas, AJ and Brooklyn, and Kara Paolino Marchionte and her husband, Adam Hayden, and
9 their children Hudson and Stella; and
10WHEREAS, Arthur Coia was born in the City of Providence, the only child of Marie and
11 Arthur Coia. He was a graduate of LaSalle Academy, and had earned his Bachelor’s degree from
12 Providence College, and his Juris Doctor from Boston University School of Law. While in law
13 school, he joined the Laborers International Union of North America (LIUNA) Local 271 and
14 worked in construction, and in 1967, became the first Business Manager of the Rhode Island
15 Laborers District Council; and
16WHEREAS, In 1970, Mr. Coia co-founded the law firm of Coia & Lepore with his
17 partner and dear friend, and focused on Workers’ Compensation and protecting the rights of
18 injured workers. He also continued his efforts with Laborers International Union of North
19 America (LIUNA), where he rose to the position of first Regional Manager, then International
1 Vice President in 1986, followed by General Secretary-Treasurer, and ultimately began serving as
2 the General President of LIUNA in 1993; and
3WHEREAS, During his tenure as General President of LIUNA, Mr. Coia steered the
4 organization through a period of growth, prosperity, unity and strength, through his deep belief
5 and ability to unite labor and management to work together for a positive result of shared success;
6 and
7WHEREAS, Mr. Coia was also a staunch and instrumental advocate for education,
8 creating the Laborers-Employers Cooperation and Education Trust (LECET) and the Arthur E.
9 Coia Scholarship Education Fund in honor of his late father; and
10WHEREAS, A man of varied enthusiasms, Mr. Coia was a lifelong musician, who loved
11 to entertain his grandchildren with impromptu musical performances, was an avid sports fan, who
12 ardently followed the New York Yankees and Providence College Friars, was an accomplished
13 golfer who won myriad Club Championships, an over-the-top auto enthusiast and renowned
14 expert on Ferraris, and was a dog lover, who bred and raised award winning Rottweilers, to name
15 but a few of his various passions; and
16WHEREAS, Arthur Coia lived and created a lifetime of accomplishments, with wisdom
17 and compassion, an infectious laugh, a warm and welcoming smile, and the humor of a prankster
18 and story teller. He dearly loved his family and friends, and forever remained “a child at heart”
19 who is so deeply missed by those who had the good fortune to have been a part of his remarkable
20 life; now, therefore be it
21RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island hereby extends deepest
22 sympathy and condolences to the family and many friends of Arthur Armand Coia; and be it
23 further
24RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to
25 transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to Mrs. Donna Paolino Coia and Family.
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