‘A BIG MAN WITH A BIG HEART’
Wynn casino builder remembered
A 56-year-old construction worker who died this week after being injured on the job at the Wynn Boston Harbor casino in Everett was remembered by his daughter as a “big man with a big heart.”
“He was a phenomenal husband. Him and my mom were married 31 years — they were best friends,” said Cassandra Nunes, daughter of Joe Teixeira. “He was an amazing father and grandfather. He lit up a room. He was a big man with a big heart.”
Teixeira of Seekonk was injured while operating an excavator Tuesday afternoon when a heavy piece of construction material fell on top of the vehicle cab, authorities said.
Nunes, of Swansea, said her father was known to family and friends as “Joe Tex.” He also is a former Pop Warner youth football coach.
Teixeira was surrounded by loved ones when he died Tuesday night at Massachusetts General Hospital, she said.
“We were all with him. He had his family and a huge waiting room full of people in his final hours. He died doing what he loved, and that’s OK.”
The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating the circumstances of Teixeira’s death, a spokesman said yesterday.
Teixeira worked for J. Derenzo Co. for four years, the company said.
The $2.4 billion Everett casino is the largest private development in state history and requires thousands of workers to build. The project — embroiled in controversy following media reports earlier this year about alleged sexual misconduct by since-deposed Wynn Resorts mogul Steve Wynn — is scheduled to open in summer 2019. The state Gaming Commission is investigating Wynn’s background.
Nunes also remembered her father as a sports fanatic who last year met his hero, former Bruins star Bobby Orr.
Nunes said her father loved going to work every day and his job was more like a “hobby” to him.
He was also selfless, raising his three biological children in addition to his godson. Teixeira also leaves behind four grandchildren, Nunes said.
She added her father had the unique ability to connect with his kin and others on a personal level.
“We have his humor and his strength,” Nunes said. “He raised each one of us for what we needed. He raised us based on our own personalities. And that’s how he treated everybody — nobody was the same.”