Town Father Mahoney passes at 84 years
Published on July 20th, 2005
A Stoneham legend and a link to both its past, present and future was lost when longtime resident and active citizen Jack Mahoney passed away at 84 years of age at Winchester Hospital on Sunday.
Mahoney was owner of one of only two firms (J.F. Mahoney and Sons Inc.) in all of New England that installed scientific laboratories all over the world — a mission that saw him travel to different corners of the world as well as throughout the Northeast region.
Mahoney served the Town of Stoneham as a member of the Board of Selectmen as well as the Personnel Committee and the original Recycling Committee — all while conjuring up a memorable image of a grandfatherly-type man with his ever-present fedora hat and pipe.
"Jack was a true treasure to the town and was such a pleasure to be around," said long-standing Board of Selectman member Cosmo Ciccarello, who served on the board with Mahoney during his first term. "He was such a bright guy and he was always so funny. I used to always remember him telling the joke that ‘If you ever see me in an airport, don’t yell out Hi Jack’ too fast. He was a great, great guy."
Ciccarello added that many things that Mahoney made possible will simply never be known because he never craved attention or credit for his actions.
"He gave his time and his money to organizations and nobody ever knew about it. He never asked for any attention at all and didn’t want the publicity. He just wanted what was best for the town he loved," said Ciccarello. "My condolences obviously go out to Barbara and his entire family during this time of loss," added Ciccarello.
Mahoney, along with former Town Administrator Bill Sequino and resident Pat Kilty, is credited with founding what it know known as Town Day.
"I think Bill came up with the general idea of coming up with an idea to get the businesses and residents together for a day, and Jack and Pat really ran with it," said Stoneham Chamber of Commerce Director Sharon Iovanni. "He had this really gruff exterior, but when you got to know him he was such a warm and caring man. Don’t get me wrong, because he was certainly a guy that could take care of himself, but he had a very different side as well. It’s a tremendous loss for the town."
His involvement in Town Day resulted in Mahoney later being called the "Father of Town Day", and was one of many contributions to the town that found him named Stoneham Citizen of the Year in 1990.
"Our original idea was to hold a big get-together to bring the town officials and employees, the residents and the businesses together," said Mahoney when asked about the beginnings of Stoneham’s Town Day. "We never expected that it would take off the way it did."
In addition to his other associations, Mahoney was appointed by Sen. Richard Tisei to the Zoo New England Board of Directors and served his country as a Staff Sergeant in the Army Air Corps during World War II.
"Jack was a fascinating guy," said freelance writer Doug Wood-Boyle, who wrote a story profiling Mahoney for Middlesex East several years ago. "He was one of the few people who flew planes and earned a pilot’s license without the use of one of his eyes. I think that in and of itself speaks to his determination and skill."
Despite battling illness and age, Mahoney continued to be an active member of the town into his eighties and was one of a many vocal critics during the recent Christopher Street development — with Mahoney victoriously getting Highland Village to change the name of their project after he deftly pointed out its folly.
Even in his winter years, the lion was still able to roar loudly and effectively and will be missed greatly by those who knew him best.
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