Joseph M. Souza, 83, of Dartmouth died Monday November 14, 2005 at St. Luke's Hospital after a brief illness. He was the husband of Rose F. (DeSouza) Souza.
Born in New Bedford, the son of the late Manuel and Amelia (Ribeiro) Souza, he lived in New Bedford for many years before moving to Dartmouth 33 years ago.
He was a communicant of St. Mary's Church in South Dartmouth.
Mr. Souza was formerly employed as the Chief Probation Officer for the Third District Court of Bristol County for many years until his retirement in 1986. He had served on the Committee on Standards of the District Court Department of the Trial Court. He was a member and Past President of the Massachusetts Probation Officers Association and the Massachusetts Chief Probation Officers Association.
He attended New Bedford Public Schools, Holy Family High School, and graduated from Manter Hall School in Cambridge. He was a graduate of Brown University and was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Public Administration from UMass-Dartmouth.
Mr. Souza served in the U.S. Army during World War II with the 6th Armored Artillery Division, participating in the battles and campaigns of Normandy, Northern France, the Rhineland, Ardennes and Central Europe. He was a recipient of the Bronze Star medal, the American Defense Service medal, the European-African-Middle Eastern Theater Campaign ribbon and the Good Conduct medal. He was recalled to active duty in 1961-1962 during the Berlin Crisis. He retired from the National Guard as a Major.
Mr. Souza was an active participant in numerous community boards, agencies and organizations, including the Kiwanis Club, the Greater New Bedford Area Board for Mental Health and Retardation, the Greater New Bedford Area Center for Human Services, the New Bedford Board of Youth Resources Agency, and the Massachusetts Association for Mental Health. He was a charter member and Past President of the Prince Henry Society.
Active in educational issues, he was a former teacher in the New Bedford School Department and was a Past President of the New Bedford Educators Association. Mr. Souza served as a trustee of the New Bedford Institute of Technology, and as Chairman of that Board, was a recognized leader in the successful effort to merge that college with Bradford Durfee College in Fall River. Selected by Governor Foster Furcolo to organize and chair the Board of Trustees for the newly created Southeastern Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he went on to serve as Board chairman during the development of Southeastern Massachusetts University. He was also selected as the initial chairman of the S.M.U. Building Authority. He also served on the Massachusetts Board of Higher Educational Policy.
He was honored as the Person of the Year by the Prince Henry Society, and as Probation Officer of the Year and honorary life member by the Massachusetts Probation Association.
Survivors include his wife; two daughters, Elizabeth H. Souza and her husband William Stapleton of Amherst, and Pamela M. Souza and her companion Ronald Teachman of New Bedford; a sister, Ann Pielech of New Bedford; a sister-in-law, Alyce Sylvia of Gulfport, Fla.; five grandchildren, Noah and Phoebe Stapleton, and Nathaniel, Amelia, and Alexander Monteiro; and many nieces and nephews.
He was the brother of the late Manuel Souza, Lionel Souza, Eva Cournoyer, Mary Souza and Amelia Parker.
Funeral from the Saunders-Dwyer Home for Funerals, 495 Park St., New Bedford Saturday November 19, 2005 at 9 AM. Funeral Mass at St. Mary's Church, South Dartmouth at 10 AM. Relatives and friends are invited to attend. Visiting hours will be on Friday November 18, 2005 from 4-8 PM. Burial with military honors will be in South Dartmouth Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made to the Prince Henry Society Scholarship Fund, c/o Robert Gaspar, 384 Faunce Corner Rd., Dartmouth, MA 02747.