Edward A. "Zeke" Hanley, 87, of Worcester, died peacefully on Monday, November 25th surrounded by his family. He was the beloved husband of Mary (Bowe) Hanley for 59 years and a devoted father and grandfather whose greatest enjoyment in life was his family.
Zeke was born and raised in Monson, MA on August 27, 1926 to the late Edward and Lillian(McMahon) Hanley. He graduated from Monson Academy and enlisted in the US Navy during WWII. He proudly served in the Pacific Theatre as an Electrician Mate 3rd Class with the 31st and 38th Construction Battalions/ "SeaBees". He attended Clark University where he studied history, was a member of Kappa Phi Fraternity and played collegiate soccer. He enjoyed a long career as a Project Manager with EJ Cross Company in Worcester and retired in 1989 from S&F Concrete in Hudson.
He loved to spend summer vacations traveling with his young family to historical destinations where he could share his love of the past with them, Later in life, he and his wife spent the winter months in St Augustine, Fl. They recently returned home from a trip to Rome, Italy. When not traveling, he enjoyed a hobby of making Nantucket Lightship Baskets which he gifted to family, sold through a shop on Nantucket, and donated yearly to the WGBH Auction.
Besides his wife, he is survived by his daughters and son-in-laws Susan and Michael McAuliffe of Holden, Cyndi McKinnon of Kensington, CT, Mary Anne Hanley of Warwick, RI, Kelly and Lawrence Goode of Concord, Ma, and Kerry and Barry Bradshaw of Oxford, Ma, his grandchildren Colleen Paradis and her husband Seth, Michael McAuliffe and his fiancé Tina Daly, Andrew and Erin McKinnon, Jaryn Ditomasso and his wife Stephanie, Mary, Catherine, and Adrian Goode, Nicole, Jerrica, and Kyle Bradshaw, and his great-grandson Owen Paradis. He is also survived by his sisters Myrtis Hehir, Hester Rocheford and her husband Richard, sister-in-law Theresa Remeika and several nieces and nephews. He is predeceased by a granddaughter Kathleen McAuliffe, his brother James Hanley and brother-in-law James Bowe.
Zeke’s Funeral Mass will be held on Saturday, November 30, 2013 at 10:00 A.M. in Christ the King Church, 1052 Pleasant Street. Burial will follow in Worcester County Memorial Park, Paxton. Calling hours will be held Friday, November 29, 2013 from 5:00 until 7:00 P.M. in O’CONNOR BROTHERS FUNERAL HOME, 592 Park Avenue.