JAMES A. PRIOR Jr.

FUNERAL HOME

Keefe Funeral Home - Arlington

5 Chestnut Street

Arlington, Massachusetts

JAMES PRIOR Obituary

Name: Visitation for JAMES A. PRIOR Jr.
Start: 2016-07-27T20:00:00.000Z
End: 2016-07-28T00:00:00.000Z
Location: Keefe Funeral Home - Arlington

PRIOR, James A., Jr. Of Arlington, July 23, 2016. Beloved husband of Antoinette "Chickie" (Ferraro). Loving father of Dennis and wife Theresa of Springfield and Michael and wife Tara of Arlington. Father in law of Linda Kane of Malden. Devoted grandfather of Cameron, Brandon, Meghan, and Kathryn. Brother of Katherine Murray of Belmont and Mary Ann Prior of Weymouth. Also survived by many nieces and nephews. Jim was "The Voice of BU Hockey" for over 30 years. He was 20 year Navy Veteran in which he served in the Viet Nam War. Inducted into the MA Hockey Hall of Fame, also very active in Eastern Junior Hockey. Worked over 20 years with Stone and Webster in Boston. Funeral from the Keefe Funeral Home, 5 Chestnut St., (Rt.60, adjacent to St. Agnes Church) ARLINGTON, on Thursday at 10:30 am. Funeral Mass at Saint Agnes Church at 11:30 am. Relatives and friends invited. Visiting hours Wednesday 4-8 pm. Burial in Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Arlington. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to New England Center and Home for Veterans, 17 Court St., Boston, MA 02108. For directions or to send a condolence visit www.keefefuneralhome.com

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Published by Boston Globe from Jul. 24 to Jul. 26, 2016.

Memories and Condolences
for JAMES PRIOR

9 Entries

Tara Prior

July 26, 2016

John/Carol Kilban

July 26, 2016

Dear Prior Family,
A word to let you know that you are all in our thoughts and prayers. The Arlington Hockey Club brought a lot of good people together over the years with you being part of it. We'll always have good memories to carry on.
Love,
John & Carol Kilban

Jim Villandry

July 26, 2016

It was obvious that Jim loved his family including his extended hockey community family. Besides his booming voice, he possessed an exuberant smile. I will always remember when he visited the referees locker room seeking a good story. Many, many times he exited the room laughing and shaking his head. Thanks for the memories Jim, RIP.

Kevin Doyle

July 26, 2016

I first met Jim in 1989 when I joined Hockey Night In Boston as a fledgling PA guy. I was immediately trained in "The Prior Way" of the do's and don'ts of hockey announcing. We had a great working relationship during our 20 or so years together at HNIB. His immediately recognizable voice and signature "Let's Play Hockey!" will be missed by all in the Greater Boston and Massachusetts hockey community. My condolences to the Prior family. Absolutely a class act!

Gerry Charlotin

July 26, 2016

My condolences to the Prior family. I had the privilege of sharing the booth with Jim over the last four seasons of BU hockey. He would playfully tease me every time I made a mistake on the scoreboard. I always looked forward to seeing him. I will miss his smile, our game day traditions & we will all miss his voice.

Coach Dan Shine

July 26, 2016

It all started in 1978 at the Arlington Sports Center where Jim found his love for announcing.
Jim called me to ask if he could announce the Arlington Catholic Hockey Games. I said "Why not?" and that was when he first started with "The teams are ready, Let's play hockey" and the rest is history. He did it for more than 25 years and never would accept a dime for his services. He always felt that that is where he got his start. Eventually the demands on his art were just too much on him and he had to give up the cold rinks. As everyone knows, he eventually became the official voice of BU hockey, who had a warmer rink. We had a lot of great times and laughs throughout the years. Our team once took a trip to Lewiston, Maine for a tournament and Jim accompanied us. We had a wonderful weekend. Jim always loved the players he announced and made it a personable experience for all. A class act, he will be missed.

Bob Perry

July 25, 2016

I had the good fortune to work for Jim in the Accounting Department at Stone & Webster many years ago. Jim was a terrific manager - a nice man who cared about his employees, worked hard, and always did the right thing. My sincere condolences to the Prior family. - Bob Perry

Ralph Holmberg

July 25, 2016

Jim was such a great guy, heard him for thirty years at BU games, announcing the teams are ready, let's play hockey. He will be greatly missed.

Bo Stewart

July 25, 2016

My condolences to the Prior family. I had some great moments in the booth with Jim. It was a privilege and I will miss seeing him at Agganis on game days.

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