Gerard “Gerry” Dooley, 65, a long-time resident of Franklin, MA, died unexpectedly at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston on March 2, 2019. As befitted a man who valued friends and family, he was surrounded by many of his loved ones at the time of his passing.
Gerry, the fourth of eleven children, was born on February 26, 1954 in New York City to William and Cecilia (Moran) Dooley. He attended Our Lady of Angels Grammar School and All Hallows High School in the Bronx. He earned his B.Ed. in Education/English Literature from Manhattan College in 1976.
A standout athlete in his youth, Gerry maintained a lifelong interest in sports. After moving to Massachusetts over thirty years ago, he became an avid Red Sox, Celtics and Patriots fan, much to the chagrin of his New York-based family.
After spending most of his career as an educator and administrator in the trade school industry, he re-invented himself as a realtor. For the past five years, he was a successful member of the Keller Williams Elite team in Plainville, MA. He was especially gratified to help military families buy their first homes. Gerry was also an active member of the United Regional Chamber of Commerce.
Gerry is survived by his high school sweetheart and beloved wife of over 40 years, Maryann (Crea) Dooley, his siblings and their respective spouses, Carol Ann and Kenny Brooks, Barbara and Kenny McLynch, Billy Dooley, Kathy and Brian Waters, Marybeth and Mike Garbellano, Ginny and Neil O’Keefe, Chris and Carol Dooley, Sandy (Ricigliano) Dooley, Jeanine Dooley and Marcie Mulé, and Annemarie and Phil Moynihan. His passing is also mourned by nephews, nieces, grandnephews and grandnieces too numerous to name but too cherished not to acknowledge. He was preceded in death by his parents, his much-loved brother, Richard and his sister-in-law, Cathy Burke-Dooley, the late wife of his brother, Billy.
It is impossible to fully comprehend the impact Gerry’s passing has had on the extended Dooley and Crea families and all who love him. He was the life of the party -- a consummate storyteller, who reveled in making people laugh. He had a youthful spirit, lit up every room he entered, and left an indelible mark on everyone he met. He put his heart and soul into everything he did, whether it was volunteer activities, his work or his family. He was a second father to his small army of nieces and nephews. “Uncle Gerry” made everything more fun, held court at every family gathering and made the large family Christmas celebrations even more memorable by making his entrance with the exuberance of Santa, invariably wearing a light up sweater, crazy socks and Holiday Crocs. Gerry was a larger than life, all around great guy and will be sorely missed by everyone whose life he touched.
Visiting hours will be held from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, March 6 in the Ginley Funeral Home of Franklin (www.ginleyfuneralhomes.com) 131 Main Street, Franklin, MA. The funeral mass will be held at 10:00 am on Thursday, March 7 in St. Mary’s Church located at One Church Square, Franklin, MA. The burial will be private.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Gerry’s memory to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (www.stjude.org) or Wounded Warrior Project® (www.woundedwarriorproject.org).