Edward A. Tessier

Seekonk - Edward “Bud” A. Tessier, 77, passed away after a brief battle with MDS on Tuesday, September 30th, 2025. His devoted wife Janet (Barby) Tessier of fifty years and many members of the grieving family that he loved so dearly were by his side as he passed away peacefully, if tragically. His passing will leave an immeasurable hole, not only in the family, but in the community. He was a profoundly giving and helping man. In his 77 years of life, and in his role as owner of Tessier’s General Store on Central Avenue in Pawtucket, he came to be a bedrock of that community and will be sorely missed by many.
Bud was born in Providence, the son of Edouard L. and Corinne A. (Dulude) Tessier. He grew up a block from the store, on Seba Kent Rd, playing in the streets of Darlington with his sisters. He attended Sacred Heart Academy and achieved a BA from Providence College. There he played basketball as a Providence Friar. He went on to assume leadership of the hardware and paint store from his father, who in turn had inherited it from his parents, Anna and Emile. Bud flourished at “the Store,” helping anyone who walked in the door, whether it was a representative of the City of Pawtucket with a municipal contract or a homeowner looking for a very specific fastener, and possibly a conversation. He established and maintained relationships with all his suppliers, who at that time would have been small local manufacturers. He remembered everyone, and until the day of his passing he worked to connect the people of the community around him, earning him the affectionate nickname, “Mayor of Pawtucket.”
The cornerstone of his future life was placed in the summer of 1974 when he met Janet on Cape Cod. It was real-life case of love at first sight. He got hit by a car in the pouring rain as he waited for her to pick him up for a second date: it didn’t matter. She nursed him back to health, they married, and their family grew. With each child, grandchild and new family member, their love for each other was reflected more clearly and was deepened.
Bud was a talented singer and musician. He rekindled his lifelong love of music in later years and enjoyed playing out with his classic rock-inspired group, Acoustic Drive. He often could be found learning a song at home or strumming on the deck of the family’s beach house. All of Bud’s pursuits, hobbies and pastimes were ways for him to spend time with the closeknit family he loved so deeply, whether it was boating on Narragansett Bay, playing music with family, traveling to visit family, shooting hoops, or gardening.
Bud will be terribly missed by his loving wife Janet, and by his three children and their families: Edward M. Tessier and his wife, Heather (Strom), of North Smithfield, RI, Nicole C. Tessier and her husband, Austin Golding, of Croton-on-Hudson, NY, and Eric S. Tessier and his wife, Miyabi Goto, of Lexington, KY; four grandchildren, Samuel Foster Golding, Jude Edward Golding, Sasha Yvette Tessier, and Eissa Sawyer Tessier; three siblings, Janice A. Speisman and her husband, Steve, of Scottsdale, AZ, Elaine M. Balogh and her
husband, Michael, of Rehoboth, MA, and Denise T. Scardusio and her husband, Carl, of Paradise Valley, AZ, and many nieces and nephews.
Visitation hours will be open to the public and held at the William W. Tripp Funeral Home, 1008 Newport Ave., Pawtucket, Sunday, October 5th from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
The funeral will be on Monday, October 6th, at 9 a.m., commencing from the William W. Tripp Funeral Home, 1008 Newport Ave., Pawtucket with a procession to a Mass of Christian Burial at 10 a.m. in St. Cecilia Church of St. John Paul II Parish, 755 Central Ave., Pawtucket.
Interment at Notre Dame Cemetery to follow the service.
If desired, memorial gifts to HopeHealth Hulitar Hospice, 1085 North Main St., Providence, RI 02904 or MDS Foundation, 228 Park Ave. S, PMB 118983, New York NY 10003 or online at https://www.mds-foundation.org/donate/ also giving the gift of life through blood donations to your local blood bank would be greatly appreciated.