BRADFORD: John J. Heffernan, 88, formerly of Palm Beach/Jupiter, FL and Rye Beach, NH, died Tuesday, June 21, 2011 in the Merrimack Valley Hospice House. He was the loving husband of Virginia D. (Hamel) Heffernan with whom he shared sixty-two years of marriage.
Born in Dorchester on June 30, 1922, he was the son of the late Daniel J. and Anastasia (Butler) Heffernan. He was a graduate of Boston English High School. John also attended St. John’s Seminary, Boston College and the Pratt Institute. A U.S. Navy veteran of World War II, he proudly served as a member of the Sea Bees in the Pacific Theatre.
John was employed as a tanner at the former L.H. Hamel Leather Company in Haverhill for many years before his retirement. He was known in his field for developing many specialized products for the leather industry. For several years, he worked as a firefighter for the City of Boston.
A devout Catholic, he was a very active member of the Sacred Hearts Parish in Bradford, where he enjoyed contributing his time in many church activities. He also became a Eucharistic minister. He was a member of the Knights of Columbus, the Men of Merrimack College and was very active at Cardinal Cushing Academy. He was integral in establishing the nursing program at Northern Essex Community College.
Always a smile on his face, he was a welcoming person to all and was affectionately known as “Gopo” to his many grandchildren, great-grandchildren and surrogate grandchildren. He adored his wife, “Ginny” and loved to spend time with his family. He enjoyed crossword puzzles, tennis and swimming.
In addition to his loving wife, he is survived by his eight children, Dottie and her husband, Tom Forrestall of Bradford, Jack and his wife, Mary Jo Heffernan of Haverhill, Ann Buonopane of Chelmsford and her companion, Bob Ray of Tyngsboro, Ted Heffernan of Greenland, NH, Tippy and her husband, Ron Missick of Tewksbury, Jim Heffernan of Las Vegas, NV, Lou Heffernan of Jupiter, FL and Margie and her husband, Jim Noone of Hampton, NH; fourteen grandchildren, Kellie, Tracy, Brian, Scott, Keri, Judy, JJ, Missy, Chris, Kim, Kristin, Matt, Hannah, Jessica and several step-grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren, Nora, Ryan, Molly, Trevor, Cristian, Collin, Gavin, Jordan and counting; several nieces and nephews and a very large extended family. He was predeceased by all of his brothers and sisters and his grandson, baby boy Heffernan.
His funeral Mass will be celebrated on Saturday at Sacred Hearts Church, 165 S. Main St., Bradford at 10 a.m. Visiting hours will be held on Friday in the Linnehan-Grondin Funeral Home, 129 Kenoza Avenue, Haverhill from 1 – 4 and 6 - 8 p.m. Relatives and friends are cordially invited to attend. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in his memory to Sacred Hearts Church, 48 S. Chestnut St., Bradford, MA 01835 or to St. Mary’s Catholic Church, 1200 E. Main St., Pahokee, FL 33476. Interment will be held at St. James Cemetery, Haverhill.