Daniel Brackett Breen, 88, of North Andover, Massachusetts, died on Sunday June 10th, surrounded by his family after a brief illness.
Daniel was born on October 5, 1923 in Methuen, Massachusetts, the eighth child of Gertrude Meskill Breen and John Breen. He graduated from Riverside Military Academy at the age of 16. He attended the University of Southern California from 1940 to 1942. After Pearl Harbor, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy as an Ensign and was promoted to Lieutenant. He became a naval aviator, serving as a flight instructor for pilots. Daniel Brackett Breen married the love of his life, Louise Martha Norris, on October 3, 1945 and settled in North Andover, Massachusetts. After World War II ended, Dan returned to college on the G.I. Bill. He was the first student to enroll at Merrimack College, graduating in 1951 with a degree in History and Political Science. He received a Masters Degree in Public Administration from Boston University in 1952. Daniel also did graduate work at Suffolk University Law School.
Dan’s career of public service at the Massachusetts Department of Revenue began in 1955. He served as Deputy Tax Commissioner from 1973 to 1990. Dan was a member of the National Association of Tax Administrators and of the American Society for Public Administration. He taught Public Fiscal, Personnel, and Management courses at Northeastern University Graduate School of Public Administration. He was a director of the Commonwealth Co-operative Bank.
Dan was deeply engaged in community life and believed in the importance of supporting the next generation of school children. He was a proud member of the Merrimack College Alumni Association. Dan was the first president of the Franklin School Parent Teachers Association, a founding member of the North Andover Sportswagon, and president of Community Centers, Inc. He was a board member for the Committee for A Better Chance in North Andover.
Dan learned to fly at age twelve. He was an avid swimmer. Dan had a beautiful voice and his singing was enjoyed by all. Dan’s mentor and best friend was his father-in-law Dr. Rolf C. Norris. Dan enjoyed watching birds, doing crossword puzzles, and watching North Andover Basketball games, where he was a faithful fan for nearly 50 years. Dan loved attending parades, concerts, and musical productions. Dan was exceptionally proud of all of his children and grandchildren. He inspired each of us to pursue our interests and take risks to follow our dreams. He loved watching and recording for posterity his children and grandchildren’s school plays, sporting events, graduations and other milestones. He taught us to embrace life’s precious moments spent with family and he thoroughly enjoyed summers at the Little Beach and the Beach House in Ogunquit, Maine.
Dan is survived by his loving wife of sixty-six years, Louise Martha Norris Breen; his ten children Daniel Jr., Stephen and his wife Donna, Allan and his wife Cathy, Margaret and Brent Chandler, Peter and his wife Kerry, Andrew and his wife Joan, Nancy and partner Eva Diharce, Carol and her husband Tjitse Boringa, Mary and partner Eileen Prescott, and Susan and Mary Dussault; and grandchildren Daniel III, Colby and husband Joey, Megan and husband Brian, Laura and husband David, Jenny and husband Brad, Courtney, Kristen, Lindsay and fiancé Ryan, Travis, Timothy Daniel, Louise, Katherine Louise, Ryan, Andrew, Laurie, Michael, David, Brandon and Alie; great-grandchildren Aidan, Lucy, Jack, Tyler, and three more on the way. Dan is also survived by many nieces and nephews, extended family, and friends. He was the grandson of John Breen, Lawrence’s first Irish-American mayor. Daniel was the father-in-law of the late Karen Colby Breen and was predeceased by his siblings Nancy Lyons, John, Gertrude Dwyer, Charles, Margaret Callahan, Paul, Daniel Henry, and Louis, and by his in-laws, including Allan Norris and Mildred and Irving Franklin.
The entire family is grateful for the wonderful care and compassion Dan received at the Lawrence General ED, the Mass General Neuro ICU, The Whittier Rehab Hospital in Haverhill, and the Edgewood Center in Portsmouth.
Arrangements: Family and friends are invited to a celebration of Dan’s life on Thursday, June 14, 2012 at St. Michael Church 196 Main Street North Andover at 10 a.m. Private burial will follow in Walnut Grove Cemetery in Methuen, Massachusetts. To share a condolence with the Breen family, please send your fond memories of Dan to Louise at P.O. Box 262 Ogunquit, ME 03907. Arrangements are being provided by John Breen Funeral Home, www.breenfuneralhome.com.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Daniel B. Breen Memorial Scholarship Fund, to be awarded to a local student who aspires to a career in public service, at Methuen Co-operative Bank, 243 Broadway, Methuen, Massachusetts 01844, or a charity of your choice.