SALEM - Howard P. Phelan, Jr., 82, of Salem, husband of the late Ruth L. (Collins ) Phelan, died Monday morning, September 19, 2011 in the Spaulding Hospital North Shore, Salem, MA following a long illness.
Born in Salem, he was the son of the late Howard P. and Madolyn C. (Melden) Phelan and was a lifelong resident of North Salem.
Mr Phelan was an Army Veteran during the Korean Conflict actively serving from 1950 to 1954 with the 410tth Engineering Company attaining the rank of Corporal.
Prior to his retirement in 1998, he was employed for 25 years at the Atwood & Morrill Company in Salem, helping to build large scale valves for industrial use. He was previously employed as a truck driver by GTE Sylvania in Woburn.
Howard was a long time member of the American Legion. He was an avid sports fan and was especially fond of his beloved Red Sox. He enjoyed amateur photography and tinkering with lifelong hobbies of building model airplanes. ships and trains. Howard was quite a handyman and loved to help family and friends with indoor and outdoor projects around their homes.
Howard is survived by a son, Michael Phelan and his partner, Malia Griffin of Salem, a son , William Phelan also of Salem, 3 sisters in-law and several nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his brother Paul E. Phelan of Beverly and later by his sister Barbara M. Glackin of Salem.
A visitation will be held Thursday, September 22, 2011 at the Full-Spychalski Funeral Home, 84 Washington Square East, by Salem Common, Salem MA from 4 pm to 7 pm, to be followed by a family memorial service at 7 pm. Relatives and friends are respectfully invited. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his memory to the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Salem, 13 Hawthorne Blvd., Salem, MA 01970. For on-line guest book and directions, visit www.SalemFuneral.com.