John F. Quealey, 1936-2016
John Quealey died last week and was buried yesterday. Many attended his wake at Fay-McCabe Funeral Home. While there, Tony Sampas captured the following images:
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Collage of pictures at John’s wake. Photo by Tony Sampas.
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Certificate of Appreciation from Lowell Cemetery to John. Photo by Tony Sampas.
When I became Register of Deeds, John was a custodian at the courthouse. We saw each other daily, and always spoke of Lowell, its people, places, and events. John also was the official gate-keeper of Lowell Cemetery, which was just around the corner from his house. That made him a regular on the cemetery tours I’ve given through the years. John was also a constant presence at political, social, cultural, civic, and religious events in Lowell. He was one of the many people who make Lowell such an interesting place to live.
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John on Lucy Larcom Park during Lowell Folk Festival.
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John and friends outside St. Patrick’s Church after opening mass of Irish Cultural Week.
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John wishing me well at the start of a Lowell Cemetery tour.
Dick, thank you for this post. I did not know that John had passed away. I did not know him, but I used to see him every morning on Moore or Lawrence Street as he made his way down to the cemetery to open it up. I and a friend from State Street would call him “the walker”, At that time, I didn’t know who he was. May he rest in peace!