John R. Hegarty

John Richard Hegarty, 95 of Stafford Springs, Ct., passed away Friday morning, July 24, 2015 at St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center in Hartford, CT after a brief illness. John was born on Ground Hog�s Day, 1920 in Springfield, Massachusetts to John A. Hegarty and Anastasia Veideman Hegarty. He was raised in Springfield and West Springfield, living most of his life in Springfield, always maintain his �weekend home� in Stafford Springs where he eventually moved to after retirement. His two sisters, Jacqueline Goodrich, and Jean Daniele, and brother Francis Hegarty all predeceased him. He met his wife, Alice Beaudreau in 1946 and they were happily married until her death on November 1, 2005. John served as First Mate in the Merchant Marines during World War II, seeing conflict in the Atlantic, Pacific and Mediterranean Middle East war zones. He and a childhood friend, Billy Wallace, joined the Merchant Marines together and both traveled to many countries. At the conclusion of the War, he continued serving in the Merchant Marines until 1947. He worked and retired as a superintendent for W. J. Quinn, Co. and a member of the Carpenters Union Local 108. He and Alice lived for over sixty years in an old farmhouse that John had refurbished. He leaves behind several nieces and nephews, brother-in-law, Joseph Daniele, sister-in-law, Beverly Hegarty, many friends in both Massachusetts, and Connecticut and his long time friends and neighbors, the Rodiman family. Funeral Services will be graveside on Friday, July 31, at 1 p.m. at St. Thomas Cemetery in West Springfield.