Neilson Conway "Nat" Poe

CUMBERLAND- Neilson Conway “Nat” Poe, 74, of Cumberland, formerly of Smithfield and Providence, passed away on Saturday, June 20, 2020, at his home, following a long and valiant battle with Leukemia.  He was surrounded by the love, comfort, and care of his treasured family. He was the devoted husband to Valerie (Rossignol) Poe, also of Cumberland.

Born on September 21, 1945, in Providence, Nat was the loving son of the late Francis and Helena (Strickler) Poe.

He was raised in Providence and graduated from Hope High School. He furthered his education by receiving his bachelor’s degree in Accounting from the University of Hartford in Connecticut.

Nat worked for many years as a computer specialist with Information Builders Incorporated (IBI). He commuted to the offices in Burlington and Wakefield, MA and he would frequently visit the company’s headquarters in New York City. Nat took great pride in a job well done and he enjoyed educating others on how to use the company’s products. He will be remembered by his colleagues for his great work ethic and positive attitude.

He was a member of the Rhode Island Yacht Club on Ocean Drive in Cranston, where he enjoyed going out to dinner with his wife and socializing with the other members.

In his spare time, Nat had many hobbies and interests. He enjoyed working in the yard, where he worked on his property’s landscape and garden. He was very mechanically inclined, and he had a knack for fixing and building any sort of project imaginable. One of his biggest projects that he was most proud of, was the construction of his residence in Smithfield, which he personally built from the ground up. Nat liked to tinker around with his ham radio, as he was a licensed ham radio operator.  He also loved sailing, particularly in Narraganset Bay, and genuinely enjoyed taking in the beauty of life from out on the water.

Above all, Nat was most happy when he was in the presence of and making memories with his dear family.

In addition to his wife, Valerie, Nat is survived by his children: Christopher Poe and his wife Missy, Kimberly Ford and her husband Brian, Gregory Poe and his wife Beth, Meredith Poe and her fiance Henry Cruz, Jena Rossignol and her partner Andre Carr and Seth Rossignol;  his grandchildren: Cameron and Cassidy Poe, Taylor and Conor Ford, Collin, Aidan, and Kailtyn Poe, and Ben and Grayson Slayter, and also Santana and Shakira Carr; his siblings, Dick Poe and his wife Betsy and Lydia Stott and her late husband Daniel; and also many other extended family members. 

Relatives and friends are invited to attend a memorial visitation from 4 p.m. – 7 p.m. on Friday, June 26, 2020 at A.A. Mariani and Son Funeral Home, 200 Hawkins Street, Providence. Services will be held privately. A live stream of the service will be available on Saturday, June 27, 2020 at approximately 12 p.m. Please use the following link: https://vimeo.com/432270946 or watch directly on the website.

For those wishing to share their condolences, the State of RI guidelines of social distancing and the use of a face mask must be followed.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Nat’s name may be made to Hope Health Hospice, directly at:  https://www.hopehealthco.org/ways-to-give/memorial-giving/

To send flowers to the family, please visit our floral store.