Paul James "Jimmy" Piper

Jimmy “Mad Dog” Piper, born as Paul James Piper, on 08/18/1953, passed away on 03/21/2024. He was the son of military parents, James Frank Piper of Wichita, Kansas and Rosa “Polly” (Sullivan) Piper of Rock Hill, South Carolina. He is survived by a sister, Karin Dufresne of Fitchburg and two daughters, Joyce Silverio of Fitchburg, and Rebecca Collazo of Leominster.  He also had 4 grandsons, Nathan Acre, Jorge Silverio, Dominic Silverio, Anthony Silverio, and a grand -daughter Nina Moison. He had several nieces and nephews, and will sadly be missed by all, but fondly remembered.  His grandkids were his pride and joy, and he loved teasing all of them. Spending time with his family and friends was a big deal to him, and he never missed an opportunity to attend their sporting events or work out along side of them in the gym. He was always up for putting on a Santa suit at Christmas time, but anyone who knew him, would hear him say, “BAH HUMBUG” playfully of course. He lived most of his life in Leominster, MA where his family settled, and were owners of Spy’s Café. Jimmy was a 1973 graduate of Leominster High School and was proud to be a member of the football team. He was a member of the Local 39 Laborers Union and worked under them for many years until his retirement. His passion for physical fitness and weightlifting won him many trophies in powerlifting meets across Massachusetts. He was a member of the original Fitchburg Weightlifting Club.  and most recently Fitchburg Strength and Fitness, owned by his good friend Elwin, whom he considered a brother. Jim could often be heard yelling, “Put your dam weights away!” He made time for his best friends Elwin,Emile and Dave and would often share lunches together. He couldn’t resist a good meal, and by good meal, it had to have meat! He was always up for a good BBQ. Jim was an avid New England sports fan, and rarely missed a Bruins or New England Patriots game. He was also a WWE fanatic, and had quite a collection of WWE figures, dating back to the early 1980’s. He’s often described as “quite a character”, and voiced his wishes of :wanting to be cremated and thrown in the ocean so he could  haunt  all the ships”. Jim was never one to mince words, he was rough around the edges, but most people would call him an “old softy”.  He had a saying…. “I just can’t wait till tomorrow cuz I get better looking everyday”. We can all still hear him saying that.  He will be missed beyond words, as he was loved beyond words.

A remembrance service will be held on April 14th 2024 at Lavery Chartrand Funeral Home, 99 Summer St Fitchburg, MA 01420, at 2pm – 3pm. Friends and family will be notified of a gathering to commence.

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