John J. Carney

CARNEY, John J., Esq. Of Dorchester, March 1st. Born in Brookline, MA, on April 16, 1926, to Bernard Carney of Brookline, and Beatrice (Gaquin) Carney of County Roscommon, Ireland.

John attended St. William School and Boston English High School, graduating in 1943. He went on to graduate from Boston College as a proud member of the Class of '49, having also served in the U.S. Navy Medical Corps from 1944 to 1946. He received his Juris Doctor degree from Boston University Law School in 1952.

In 1953, John married his beloved wife, Madelyn M. (Finn) Carney. Together they raised nine children, who in turn have given them many grandchildren.

As legal counsel for the Commonwealth of Mass., and member of the Mass. Bar Assoc., he shaped policy to better serve the people. John served on many executive boards, including: Boy Scouts of America, Boston Council; Mass. Mental Health Association; Knights of Columbus, and more. He was an avid mariner, active member of Savin Hill and Dorchester Yacht Clubs dating to the 1950s, and lifetime member of the N.A.A.C.P.

John is survived by his loving wife, Madelyn, and their children: Bernard and his wife, Mary (Dorchester); Eileen (Winchester) and her companion, Ted Clayman; Maureen (Northampton); Kathleen Thibeault and her husband, Donald Thibeault (Palm Beach Gardens, FL); Claire Griffin and her husband, John Griffin (Westwood); Janine (Provincetown); Joanne and her fiancé, Albert Whitmore (Ft. Myers, FL); Mary and her partner Mitch Jones (Dorchester); and Elisabeth and the late Paul Hansen (Provincetown). John was the cherished grandpa of Andrea, John, Grace and Robert Carney, Andrew, John and Madeline Thibeault, Maryclare and Norah Griffin, Alana and Miren Parkinson, William Volya and Elena Madelyn Pavlenkov, Zachary Fox, and Connor, Duncan and Piers Echols-Jones.

John is also survived by many loving nieces, nephews, cousins, and his dearest friends James D. Wagner and Prashant Shankar, MD., (Dedham), housemate James Ryan (Boston), and countless others. Those whom he helped in lifetime remain innumerable, and span six continents.


John was predeceased by his parents, his dear brother and sister, James Carney and Mary Cooper, and his son-in-law, Paul Hansen.


Family and friends will honor and remember John's life by gathering for visiting hours in the Murphy Funeral Home, 1020 Dorchester Ave., DORCHESTER, on Friday, March 9, from 4-8 P.M.

His Funeral Mass will be celebrated in St. Margaret's Church of St. Teresa of Calcutta Parish, 800 Columbia Road, Dorchester, on Saturday morning, March 10, at 11 A.M.

Burial will follow in St. Joseph Cemetery, West Roxbury.

In lieu of flowers, in keeping with John's dedication to the arts and to service to others, expressions of sympathy may be made in his memory to Pioneer Valley Symphony ( pvsoc.org ); or to Dot Art, c/o Walter Baker Artists Lofts, 1231 Adams St., Dorchester, MA 02124 ( dotart.org ); or to Village In Focus, Inc. for Maria Assumpta School, Bbanda, Uganda (villageinfocus.org) c/o Barney Carney, 231 Savin Hill Ave., Dorchester MA 02125.

Veteran WWII-U.S. Navy, Corpsman.