John L. Callahan, at age 79, of Charlestown, MA, went to our lord on July 28, 2005, to be reunited with his beloved wife, Grace A. (Doherty) (1970) and devoted son John P. Callahan (2001 of Boynton Beach, FL)
John passed peacefully at his winter home in Hawaii with family at his side after a short and courageous battle with lung cancer.
He served in the Army in World War II in Glasgow, Scotland, France’s Battle of the Bulge and at the Reive River in Germany. John worked at the Maverick Mills, Wiggins Terminal and Revere Sugar Refinery. He then worked at Swift & Co. and sold Stanley Products while taking extension classes in industrial chemistry. This enabled him to start work at the Polaroid Corporation where he retired from in 1983 as a Technical Specialist. Early retirement allowed him to spend winters with his family in Florida and Hawaii. There he was able to spend more time playing his favorite game of golf on a variety of courses. Retirement also allowed him to be with his grandchildren as they grew and spend many a day at their activities including cheering from the sidelines of In-Line Roller Hockey and Soccer games to be followed by pot luck with sport families (ohanas).
John was the beloved father of Grace A.W. Callahan and father-in-law of Kenneth Wong. He was the cherished grandfather of Matthew, Aaron and Natalie Wong of Mililani, Hawaii, and Caitlin and Kelly Callahan of Boynton Beach, Florida.
He was predeceased in death by his parents, Lillian (Inglis) and Daniel Callahan, his brothers, Thomas ’41, William ’91, Daniel ’93, James ’03 his sisters, Helen ’35, Kay Murphy ’94, Pat Silva ’00, and Lil O’Rourke “04. He is survived by his brothers Vincent, Robert, Joseph and Francis and his sisters Mary Smith, and Priscilla Campbell and many nieces and nephews.
A Funeral Mass will be held for John on Friday, October 7, 2005, at 5:00 p.m. in St. Mary’s Church, 55 Warren Street, Charlestown, MA. A Celebration of Life Memorial will follow immediately after the Mass at the Knights of Columbus, 75 West School Street, Charlestown, MA. Relatives and friends are invited to attend.
Interment is private.