Obituary : Henry R. Carreiro
Published: September 3, 2009
Henry R. Carreiro of Oak Bluffs, former radio talk show host, died Wednesday, August 26; he was 75. He was the widower of Carol (O'Donnell) Carreiro and the son of the late Antone J. Carreiro and Laura (Sylvia) Carreiro. Henry was born in Oak Bluffs and attended schools on Martha's Vineyard and in Fall River.
Mr. Carreiro was a Navy combat veteran, serving aboard the Destroyer U.S.S. Owen, which earned him two battle stars in the Korean War; and he went on to circle the globe. He was injured and was honorably discharged in 1954. He was a member of the Disabled American Veterans Post 7 in New Bedford. He took full advantage of the G.I. Bill and studied journalism at El Camino College and political science at Long Beach State College. He was active in the California Democratic Party and served as President of the Torrance Young Democrats.
In 1963, Mr. Carreiro moved to New York City to work as an administration assistant for the VISTA training program at the Columbia University School of Social Work. He married Carol O'Donnell of Brooklyn, N.Y., in 1965. The untimely death of his father brought them to Oak Bluffs, where he started his own construction company. Outside of building summer homes and raising a family, Henry had a radio talk show on Martha's Vineyard's own WVOI-FM station. He also did some minor acting in summer stock, which helped land him the role of Felix, a bounty hunter that catches the first shark in the movie "Jaws."
An avid fisherman, Mr. Carreiro served as president of the M.V. Fishing Club, was a Rod and Gun Club officer, and was active in the Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby. He was an integral part in the decision to distribute free derby fish to the Island elderly.
In 1979, the Carreiro family moved to New Bedford as Henry accepted a position as talk host on WBSM. He would later serve as a talk host on WSAR in Fall River.
In the 1980s, Mr. Carreiro served as the Southeastern representative for the Massachusetts Secretary of Labor monitoring Title III services for dislocated workers. He worked with and was a staunch supporter of labor unions. With the onslaught of factory closings in New Bedford and Fall River in the 80s, he did all he could to help workers get back on their feet.
In 1983, he received the Fall River Educators Award for professionalism. In 1984, he was given the Bristol County Workers Foundation Award, and in 1985 the Martin Luther King Jr. Award for promoting equality while on the radio. The New Bedford Standard Times named him Father of the Year in 1985. In 1986, the newspaper saluted him in their "Hats Off" feature for his work with dislocated workers and in 1987 for his successful drive to save and expand services at the New Bedford Veterans Health Center. Mr. Carreiro was an outreach worker at the Fishermen's Family Assistance Center before his retirement.
Henry's wife, Carol, died in 1995. He leaves behind two daughters, Lori R Silveira of New Bedford and her husband, Walter Silveira III; Amy E. Ragnaldsen of Savannah, Ga., and her husband, Leif Ragnaldsen. He also leaves behind two sons, Steven H. Carreiro of Oak Bluffs and his wife, Merrick Carreiro, and Anthony J. Carreiro of New Bedford. He had three grandsons, Walter A. Silveira of New Bedford, and Tatum P. Carreiro and Nolan J. Carreiro of Oak Bluffs. He also leaves behind nieces,
