John J. “Joe” Cronin, age 87, of Brockton, MA and Sun City Center, FL was born on May 18, 1929 and died peacefully at his home in Florida, November 18, 2016. Joe was the devoted husband of Evelyn (Garrigus) Cronin, the late Irene (Boisseau) Cronin, and the late Gloria (Giuliano) Cronin. Born and raised in Brockton, he was the son of the late John J. and Katherine (Collins) Cronin. Joe was a 1947 graduate of Coyle High School, and a veteran of the Navy, serving during the Korean Conflict in the Naval Air Corp. In 1988, Joe retired as a Supervisor from NYNEX/Verizon where he had been employed for 35 years.
Joe was an avid Boston sports fan and of the “Fighting Irish” Notre Dame College. He enjoyed summering with his family at Cape Cod and wintering in Florida. As a proud man of Irish descent, he made numerous visits to his cousins and friends in County Cork and loved to tell stories about Ireland and listen to Irish music. He was a member of the Telephone Pioneers of America.
In addition to his wife, Evelyn, he is survived by his children, Jane (Cronin) Feroli and her husband Gregory, Katherine (Cronin) Graham and her husband Jack; and his grandchildren, Gregory and Jessica Feroli and Jameson, Madeline, and Emerson Graham. He is also survived by Evelyn’s children, Catherine (Clark) Lake and her husband James, Sharyn (Clark) Castagno and her husband Stephen, Karen (Roy) King and her husband Scott, David Roy, John Roy, and Christopher and Gina Roy and Evelyn’s grandson, Luca Castagno as well as several nieces and nephews. He is also predeceased by his son John “Jackie” Cronin and Evelyn’s daughter, Sandra Clark. He was the brother of the late Marie Jones and the brother-in-law of Doris Garrigus.
Visitation will be held in the Conley Funeral Home, 138 Belmont Street, (Route 123) Brockton, Saturday, November 26 at 10:00-11:30am, followed by a funeral service at 11:30 am. Burial will be held at Lowell Cemetery in Lowell, MA, Monday, November 28 at 12pm.
Please consider donations, in lieu of flowers, in Joe’s name to Lifepath Hospice, 3275 Upper Creek Drive, Ruskin, FL 33573 or Under the Tree Foundation, 33 Grandview Avenue, Duxbury, MA 02332 (info at http://www.underthetreefoundation.org).