DRACUT -- Francis F. Breen, retired college professor and former newspaper columnist,
died Monday, July 16, 2007. He was the husband of Catherine (Papanotas) Breen.
He was born in Lowell on August 12, 1930, the son of the late Frank and Dorothy (Hill) Breen.
Mr. Breen was chairman of the Department of Economics at Siena College in Loudonville, N.Y., for six years. He had previously taught at Merrimack College and the University of Maine and subsequently served on the faculties of Providence College and the Suffolk University Graduate School of Finance. He also lectured at Northeastern University, Bryant College Graduate School in Smithfield, R.I., and the University of Massachusetts at Lowell. At the time of his retirement he was a visiting associate professor at Salem State College. Articles by him were published in the Journal of Finance, The Social Science Quarterly, The Northern Business and Economic Review and other academic journals. He was during his academic career a member of the American Economic Association, the New York State Economic Association, and the New England Economic Association.
He served in the U.S. Navy aboard a minesweeper during the Korean War and was chairman of the Dracut Finance Committee in the 1960s.
He attended elementary school in Billerica, where his family operated variety stores at North Billerica and Nuttings Lake. He was graduated from Lowell High School with the class of 1948 and was graduated from Merrimack College as valedictorian of his class. He went on to earn Master's and Ph.D. degrees at Boston College, where he served as a teaching fellow.
Prior to his academic career, Dr. Breen was employed by The Lowell Sun, where he was the newspaper's first television critic. He also worked as a sportswriter and columnist.
In addition to his wife of 56 years, he is survived by two sons and daughters-in-law, Francis L. and Allison Breen of Concord and Thomas J. and Julie Breen of Tyngsboro; a daughter and son-in-law, Nancy A. and Mark Stanieich of Auburn, N.H.; two sisters, Mrs. Albert (Beverly) Runge of Chelmsford and Mrs. Edward (Patricia) Griffin of Inverness, FL.; and six grandchildren, Robin and Adam Breen of Concord, Peter and Molly Breen of Tyngsboro, and Laura and Matthew Stanieich of Auburn, N.H.
Friends may call at the DRACUT FUNERAL HOME, 259 Lakeview Avenue, DRACUT on Thursday from 5:00 until 8:00 PM. His Funeral Mass will be held on Friday, at 9:00 AM in Ste. Marguerite D'Youville Parish at Ste. Therese Church in Dracut.