Gildea of Brockton, MA and Popponesset, MA April 8, 2005 William A. Gildea 83 years. Devoted husband for 57 years of Catherine F. (Nickerson) Gildea. Loving father of Mary Butler and her husband Roland of Simsbury, CT; Edward Gildea of Weston, MA and his wife Susan of Westwood, MA; Margaret “Peggy” Bone and her husband Thomas of Napa, CA; Catherine Gildea of Brockton; William Gildea and his wife Melinda of Cohasset, MA; Sean Gildea and his wife Philomena of Weston,MA and Sydney, Australia; Fain Gildea of Providence, RI; Tara Gildea and her husband Peter Frick of Belmont, MA; Timothy Gildea and his wife Anne Marie of Oakville, Ontario and Mark Gildea and his wife Charlotte of Bridgewater, MA. Grandfather of 32. Brother of Zita Schmiedel of Danbury, CT and the late Mary Gildea.
Funeral from the Conley Funeral Home 138 Belmont St. (Rte 123) Brockton Wednesday at 10 am. Funeral Mass in St. Edith Stein Church (formerly St. Edward Church) at 11 am. Visiting hours Tuesday 2-4 & 6-8 pm. Please omit flowers. Donations in Bill’s memory may be made to the William and Catherine Gildea Scholarship Fund c/o Edward Gildea 126 Belmont St. Brockton, MA 02301.
William A. Gildea, former City Manager of Brockton, MA, and Newport, RI, and Executive Director of the New England Governors' Conference, died April 8th of injuries sustained in an automobile accident. He was born in Danbury, CT on January 1, 1922, and attended St. Thomas Seminary, Holy Cross College and Boston University's Institute of Municipal Management.
During his distinguished career in public service and the private sector, Mr. Gildea developed a reputation as a straight-talking reliable operator who could always be counted on to provide a helping hand. In 1967, he served as the Director of Government Relations for the New England Regional Commission. In 1981, the Governors of the six New England States appointed Mr. Gildea Executive Director of The New England Governors' Conference. He also served as Secretary of the Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers.
In 1999, he received the prestigious Edward S. Muskie Award in recognition of his dedicated service to the New England states. In 2000, The Conference of New England Governors recognized Mr. Gildea's 30 years of outstanding contribution to promoting friendship and cooperation between New England and the Eastern Canadian Provinces. He lived an extremely active and honorable life - at the young age of 83, Mr. Gildea was a founding partner of "Gildea, O'Donnell and Darlington" - a regional public affairs consulting firm, with offices in Boston and Providence.
He is survived by his loving wife of fifty-seven years, Catherine Nickerson Gildea, originally of Chatham, MA. For all of his outstanding achievements, he was most proud of his ten children and thirty-two grandchildren. He touched the lives of countless friends and strangers with his kindness, generosity and charisma. In 1972, Mr. Gildea was described in the Boston Globe as being "revered ... as a witty, wily guy with a matador's machismo. He's a caricature of the lovable rogue who views bureaucrats with wry detachment and droll asides." With his thick shock of white hair and ready smile, he was a fixture on the streets of Boston, the dining room at Locke-Obers, at Popponessett Beach, and in the tie department of Filene's Basement. The Patriarch of a great family has passed, no one person can fill his Birkenstocks, but he left many to carry on his legacy. He was the devoted husband for 57 years of Catherine F. (Nickerson) Gildea. He is survived by his ten children Mary Butler and her husband Roland of Simsbury, CT; Edward Gildea of Weston, MA and his wife Susan of Westwood, MA; Margaret “Peggy” Bone and her husband Thomas of Napa, CA; Catherine Gildea of Brockton; William Gildea and his wife Melinda of Cohasset, MA; Sean Gildea and his wife Philomena of Weston, MA and Sydney, Australia; Fain Gildea of Providence, RI; Tara Gildea and her husband Peter Frick of Belmont, MA; Timothy Gildea and his wife Anne Marie of Oakville, Ontario and Mark Gildea and his wife Charlotte of Bridgewater, MA. Grandfather of 32. Brother of Zita Schmiedel of Danbury, CT and the late Mary Gildea.
He is also survived by many nieces and nephews.