George M. Sousa, Ed.D. ’68 P’93

Source: https://www.heraldnews.com/obituaries/pneo1487050

Dr. George M. Sousa, age 78, passed away in his home on May 9, 2026. He was first and foremost loving and generous and always called Fall River, Massachusetts, home. He was born on June 21, 1947, the summer solstice. Although he died in Lake Stevens, WA, his roots, his loving family and his closest friends all lived in Fall River.

He had a gifted intellect and a memory that an elephant would have admired. He also had a wonderful sense of humor and an extremely generous heart. Service staff everywhere will miss him. He always loved the little guy and learned this from his very generous father. The tenor and diction of his voice was such that people listened. He was regularly told that he would have made a fine radio announcer.

He graduated from Bishop Stang High School and then Saint Michael’s College. St. Mike’s remained a guiding star throughout his life. He completed degrees in Psychology at the University of Vermont and earned a doctorate in Counseling Psychology from Boston University. He completed a post-doctoral internship in applied behavior medicine and became a Massachusetts licensed psychologist. He also completed an MBA at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.

George was very proud to be the Director of Project Prove in Vermont, a program that served disadvantaged students. One of his students there was Cyndi Lauper. He was the Director of Counseling at Bentley University and taught as a lecturer there. He was voted twice by students as the Teacher of the Year. He worked most of his clinical life at Goddard Medical Associates where he was the Director of Behavioral Health for many years. He also had his own private practice in psychotherapy. He retired in 2013. For a short time, he and Sharon lived in Florida after retirement, but moved to the Seattle WA area to be near to their son and family.

He and his wife Sharon Braga led a privileged life together for 57 years. They were each other’s best friends. In addition to Sharon, George is survived by one child, Matthew L. Sousa of Seattle, whom he loved dearly. He also leaves his older brother Larry Sousa of Swansea and his wife Joan. He was predeceased by his parents Manual and Irene Sousa. His daughter-in-law Audrey held a very special place in his heart. He was dedicated to his three precious grandchildren, Natalie, Andrew and Naomi. He attended grandparents’ day with Naomi the day before he died. He also leaves numerous nieces and nephews whom he loved including his godson, George Sousa. He also leaves his very close friends from childhood, college, and his professional life. He also loved his special friends at St. John’s church. He and Sharon led a weekly support group there, and George often said that he benefitted more from those attending this group than did its members.

One of George’s greatest gifts was his capacity to reflect and introspect. He could eloquently articulate his struggles, own his faults, and set out to improve his behavior. Sharon admired this trait and believed this was profoundly important to their successful marriage.

Although George was a lifelong Catholic, he returned to Christianity when he found St. John’s Episcopal Church in Snohomish, Washington. He was very involved in the community kitchen there and in caring about many issues affecting the homeless and disadvantaged.