obituary – Bill Brett

Five Catholic priests with area ties have died

April 28th, 2020 Comments Closed

(Photo of Monsignor McGann taken from a St. Joseph Parish bulletin.) BOSTON — Bill Brett asked that we link to Emily Sweeney’s in The Boston Globe about the deaths of two priests who contracted the coronavirus. Monsignor Francis J. McGann, 95, who was a longtime fixture at St. Joseph Parish in Needham and previously served at posts throughout the archdiocese including Dorchester and Hingham, died after a “recent hospitalization due to the COVID-19 virus,” the…

Keep Reading →

by billbrettboston

Obituary

Family and friends of Josh Shafer mourn his passing

October 1st, 2018 Comments Closed

The family and friends of Josh Shafer asked that we spread the word about his passing. Here is his obituary: Joshua Ryan Shafer passed away peacefully on Sunday, September 16, after a courageous 4-year battle with ALS. He was 44 years old. Born April 20, 1974 in Ellsworth, Maine, and raised in Winter Harbor, Maine, Josh was a graduate of Sumner Memorial High School and Boston University, spent a semester abroad at Oxford University, and…

Keep Reading →

by billbrettboston

Obituary

Bill McGowan, friend to thousands of immigrants, has died

September 18th, 2017 Comments Closed

BOSTON — I’m sad to report that my friend Bill McGowan died on Sept. 16, 2017 surrounded by his family and friends. Bill, who was active in the Irish community, was proudly from Co. Sligo in Ireland, just like the Bretts. I often saw him at events and he was known to help out people who needed some assistance after they arrived in the U.S. There will be a wake at St. Elizabeth’s Church in…

Keep Reading →

by billbrettboston