Esther L. Meehan

HOLYOKE 

Born on glorious Easter Sunday 1932, Esther Lillian (Baker) Meehan was a treasure in our lives.  She passed away January 10, 2019 at the Holyoke Medical Center. Her parents, John and Elizabeth (O’Connor) Baker were immigrants from Dingle, County Kerry, Ireland. Born in the Churchill section of Holyoke, Esther attended Sacred Heart Grammar and High Schools. Esther worked in many careers, a telephone operator at the Apple-Tel Answering Service, in the offices of Drs. Potsubay and Judd, food service at Mount Holyoke College and retired as a clerk for the Department of Social Services. Esther was the past president of the Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians in Holyoke. A former parish council member at Sacred Heart Parish, she was active in the parish’s Ladies Guild and ran the monthly parish drawing for many years. In 1994, Esther was a founder of the Sacred Heart/Our Lady of Guadalupe CYO basketball program and in a short time directed it into becoming one of the largest CYO organizations in Western Massachusetts offering an opportunity yearly for over 300 boys and girls in Holyoke to play basketball. For these efforts, she received the Friends of Holyoke Basketball Award from David M. Bartley in 1998 and was the WesternMass CYO Woman of the Year in 2001. She was a longtime commissioner of the Geriatric Authority of Holyoke where she took great satisfaction helping seniors in their later years. From her home on Beech St., Esther enjoyed hosting yearly parties to watch the Saint Patrick’s Parade. She was predeceased by her former husband, Daniel L. Meehan in 2009.  An only child, Esther was extremely proud of her large and continually growing family. She is survived by her five children, Daniel J. Meehan, Jr,, Sandra Rigali and her husband William, Geraldine O’Brien, Jo-Ann Barrett, and Tracy Dubuc and her husband Paul; 17 grandchildren, Alexa Rigali, Kiely Rivera, Justin Hamel, Daniel Meehan III, Meaghan Cox, Adam Meehan, Gabrielle Saucedo, Shawna O’Brien, Kelly O’Brien, Caitlin Schwensfeir, James Barrett, Joseph Barrett, Myriah Hudak,  David Dubuc, Joseph Dubuc, Dylan Dubuc and Elizabeth Lyons; 16 great grandchildren, Syius, Marianela, Samuel, Mia, Nolan, Landon, Emma, Dylan, Nina, Grace, Marcus, Stella, Ethan, Camille, Scout and Veda; many cousins in England and Ireland; and her best friends, Rosie Hendricks and Kitty McGrath. The Funeral will be held on Thursday, January 17, 2019 at 9:00 a.m. from the Barry J. Farrell Funeral Home, 2049 Northampton Street, Holyoke followed by a Mass of Christian Burial celebrated by Father William Lunney in St. Patrick Chapel of St. Jerome Church at 10:00 a.m. Burial will follow in St. Jerome Cemetery.  Calling hours will be held on Wednesday, January 16, 2019 from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers the family requests donations to Hudaks’ Heroes  c/o JDRF Greater CT/ Western MA Greater CT Chapter, 20 Batterson Park Road, 3rd Floor, Farmington, CT 06032.

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