GORMAN, Francis John, Jr. (Buddy), Age 91, passed away peacefully at his home in Wellesley on Tuesday, July 17, 2018. His varied nicknames including; Frank, Buddy, Dad, Papa, and Mr. G., reflected the many roles he played from father, grandfather, great-grandfather; to coach, philosopher, friend, advisor, cheerleader, and spiritual influence. This influence, now ingrained in his offspring, will be his legacy.
Buddy was born on Nov. 20, 1926 in Boston to Francis and Alice (Cunningham) Gorman and raised in Newton with his three siblings Edward (Ned), Joe, and Mary. Upon graduation from high school, he enlisted in the Navy and served as a Quartermaster on the LOS 61 in the Asia Pacific Theatre. His presence in Tokyo Bay in August of 1945 left him with an insatiable interest in historic events and people.
A lifelong Eagle, he graduated from Boston College in 1951 with a degree in Math, and took a job with the NSA in DC where he met his wife, Claire. They were married in 1954 and moved to Hartford, CT where they started a family. By 1956, he was back in MA working for Raytheon as a systems engineer where he was instrumental in the design and deployment of the Patriot Missile system.
As the family grew they moved to Wellesley where they lived for 29 years. In 1979 they purchased the “Cape House” starting a long family relationship with the Town of Chatham. Later, he and Claire split their retirement between homes in Bonita Springs, FL and Chatham. He loved Fairway Dunes and made many new friends there.
Early into retirement, his eyesight began to falter but this did not dampen his spirit. If anything, it deepened his faith and intensified his interest in philosophy and the sciences. He consumed books passionately, favoring a wide spectrum of subjects, which ranged from the analytics of space-time continuums to the teachings of Thomas Merton and the heroics of historic figures like Constantine. He and his good friend Doug Manchester spent many a night pondering some of the great philosophical questions of our times.
Cerebral interests aside, “Papa” was a jovial, generous person, with a devilish twinkle creatively used to signal mar “tini-time”, the making of which became a rite of passage for his grandchildren. His devotion to their interests, concerns and aspirations was always readily evident, and the love they shared was mutually cherished. They came to him for advice and could count on his encouraging support and not so subtle nudge to “just go for it”. As a Boston native, he was a devoted fan of the Red Sox and Patriots but they did not hold a candle to his beloved Boston College Eagles. As a grandfather, he was a devoted fan of Mahi-Gold and pronoun.
He is survived by his loving wife of 64 years, Claire; sons Francis and his wife Nancy of Norfolk, Matt and his wife Karen of Wellesley, and Richard of Shrewsbury; daughters Chris and her husband Sam McConnell of Wellesley, and Mary Ann and her husband Jeff DeTroye of VA; grandchildren Becky and her husband Brian Voelkel, Michael and his wife Janet, Francis (Jake) and his wife Kaitlin, Anne Marie and her fiancé Conor Stevens, Alyse, Madeline, and Bridget Vellturo, Andrew and Samuel (Mac) McConnell, and Cole, Caitlin, and Craig; and two great-grandchildren Tierney Voelkel and Penelope Gorman.
Visiting hours will be on Friday July 20 from 4-8PM at George F. Doherty & Sons Funeral Home 477 Washington St., (Rt.16) WELLESLEY. A Funeral Mass will be held on Saturday, July 21 at 10AM in St. John the Evangelist Church, 9 Glen Rd., Wellesley.