NORTH PROVIDENCE — Francis P. Kayatta, 87, a resident of Greenville and Jamestown, a retired pharmacist, died Saturday at Our Lady of Fatima Hospital.
He was the husband of Mary (Dolan) Kayatta, and the father of Father Francis P. Kayatta, pastor of St. Mary, Star of the Sea Church, Narragansett.
Born in Providence, he was the son of Francis P. and Emily (Streker) Kayatta. He graduated from the former Rhode Island College of Pharmacy, now the University of Rhode Island, in 1950 where he was a member of the Kappa Psi Fraternity.
He was the former owner of The Greenville Pharmacy in Greenville, a business founded by his father. He retired in 1986 from the State of Rhode Island and served as Chief of Pharmacy of the former Fogarty Hospital at the Ladd Center, Exeter.
He was an Army veteran of World War II. A member of the 5th regiment of the First Calvary Division he served in the South Pacific where he earned four battle stars, a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star. He took part in the invasion of the Admiralty Islands, Leyte and Luzon in the Philippines.
He was a longtime parishioner of St. Philip's Church, Greenville, where he served as a former member of the parish council and finance committee. He was also a Fourth Degree Member of the Knights of Columbus and a member of the VFW Post 10505.
In addition to Father Kyatta, he is survived by two brothers, Paul J. Kayatta of New York and William J. Kayatta of South Portland, ME.
A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated May 14 at Blessed Sacrament Church, Providence.
