John F. Hannigan of York, ME passed away on Thursday, July 13, at Portsmouth Regional Hospital with his wife and his children at his side. John was born on August 25, 1933 in County Tipperary, Ireland. He is survived by his wife, Virginia (Ginny), his daughters, Ann England (Gary) of England, Frances Hannigan of Ireland, and his two sons, Thomas Hannigan of Isle of Man, and Sean Kevin Hannigan of Boston.
John fell and fractured a vertebra on Friday, July 7, and held on to life until his children could arrive from England and Ireland. They arrived on Wednesday, July 12, and John passed away the next day.
John worked in Ireland and in England for many years before he met Ginny at which point he emigrated to the United States. John was predeceased by his two brothers, Tony and Pat, and his sister, Eily. In addition to his children, John is survived by six grandchildren, Antonia, Billy, Shannan, Charlotte, Teagan and Erin and two great grandchildren, Kian and Jamie.
John and Ginny spent most of their time together in Winchester, MA where they were active members of St. Mary Parish. In retirement, they moved to York, where the extended family had vacationed and spent many wonderful times. Upon moving to York, they became members of St. Christopher’s Church in York.
John always enjoyed spending time at a local “pub”. John and Ginny were well known and beloved figures at a number of York establishments. Someone commented that with John’s passing the local pub business will take quite a while to recover, and there will be many bartenders and servers who will mourn his passing.
John was a quiet and unassuming man, small in stature but big of heart. He was always willing to help someone if they were down on their luck. His soft (and sometimes indecipherable) voice often left one wondering if a comment was a compliment or if he was taking the “mickie” out of him. John made friends easily and was well known for his kind blue eyes and his Irish smile.
John also loved sports. While not native to him, he came to love the Boston Red Sox and the New England Patriots. He was also an avid fan of many of the Irish sports such as hurling, soccer and Gaelic football.
Because his home county of Tipperary is famous for its horse breeding industry, John knew a lot about horse racing and his expertise was always in demand around the time of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes. A lot of his son’s friends are indebted to John for this service!
But above all, John loved his family. Go with God, John. We know you are free now of all your body’s frailties. We can see him scampering over the horizon yelling, “Up, Tipp!” and “Where’s the Jameson’s?”
Family and friends will gather to honor and remember John for a period of visitation on Wednesday, July 19, 2023, from 9:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. in the Costello Funeral Home, 177 Washington Street, Winchester, MA. A funeral Mass will be held following the visitation at 11:30 a.m. at St. Mary’s Parish, 155 Washington Street, Winchester, MA. Burial will follow at 2:30 p.m. at the First Parish Cemetery, 180 York Street, York, ME.
John loved to read, in lieu of flowers please consider a donation to the York Public Library, 15 Long Sands Rd., York, ME 03909.