CURTIN Kevin of Wellesley MA, son of the late John J. Curtin, Jr. and Mary (Daly) Curtin, passed away suddenly but surrounded by family on December 10, 2020. As a devoted father, husband, advocate, teacher, friend and neighbor, Kevin was a force for good in his community. He is survived by his beloved wife, Susan Jeghelian, and his treasured daughter, Francesca. He also leaves four siblings, Catherine Curtin Dyroff and her husband Peter of Duxbury, Joseph and his wife Carolyn of Wellesley, Ann Carroll and her husband Paul of Sherborn, and Daniel and his wife Kristen of Wellesley. Kevin was proud to be the brother-in-law to Leo Jeghelian and his wife Linda of Rockport and Lisa von Wendt and her husband Jan Paul of Needham, as well as a cherished uncle to his many nephews and nieces.
Born June 20,1959 in Washington DC, Kevin attended Milton Academy, Boston College and was a 1988 graduate of Boston College Law School, after which he served as judicial law clerk for U.S. District Court Judge William G. Young. Kevin committed his professional life to law and advocacy, serving locally, nationally and internationally. Over the course of his career, Kevin tried hundreds of jury cases and managed Superior Court post-conviction matters both writing appellate briefs and conducting oral arguments during an accomplished career that included serving as Senior Appellate Counsel/Grand Jury Director for the Middlesex District Attorney. He also was a dedicated adjunct professor, teaching trial practice at Boston College Law School and in the trial advocacy programs of Harvard Law School and the University of Virginia Law School. In 2017, he was named Prosecutor of the Year by the Massachusetts District Attorney’s Association, was honored by the Massachusetts Bar Association with one of its annual “Access to Justice” Awards and received the American Bar Association’s Norm Maleng Minister of Justice Award that honors those who understand that the “duty of the prosecutor is to seek justice, not merely to convict.” He was also on the Board of the Appleseed Center for Law and Justice.
Kevin was vice-chair of the ABA’s Criminal Justice Section Council and co-chaired the Section’s Committee on Appellate and Habeas Practice. He consulted extensively for the Republic of Uzbekistan, repeatedly travelling to that developing constitutional democracy and participating in the historic law reform efforts ongoing in that nation.
Kevin loved to garden, golf and sail, sing in his church choir, read books, poems and the occasional Latin or Old English text, and listen to opera, blues and classical music. Mostly, he valued time with his family, particularly with his wife and daughter, whom he cherished above all else, and his best pal Bubba the dog. Wherever Kevin went, he brought unconditional kindness and a readiness to serve. His laugh, his loyalty, and his glowing spirit will be missed by all those who knew him. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the John J. and Mary Daly Curtin Center for Public Interest Law at Boston College Law School.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the initial interment will be private, but a public celebration of Kevin’s life will be held at a later time.