CORNELIUS J. MOYNIHAN

MOYNIHAN, Cornelius J. Cornelius Joseph Moynihan, Jr., passed away peacefully, at his home in Cambridge, on the night of October 23â€"24, 2022, surrounded by his closest loved ones. He was 83. Cornelius, known as Neil to many, hailed originally from Haverhill. He was the son of the late Judge Cornelius J. and Evelyn (Cunningham) Moynihan; and the brother of the late Donald Moynihan, M.D. He is survived by his devoted wife of 56 years, Elizabeth (Rouse) Moynihan (formerly of Annapolis, MD); his sister Anne Coursey; his children Michael and Cornelia; his daughter-in-law Annabel; and his grandsons, Aldwyn and Liam. Neil graduated from Boston College High School (1956), from Georgetown University (1961), and from Harvard Law School (1964), after which he launched his 40-year career as an attorney with the Boston law firm now known as Nixon Peabody. As a young man, he clerked for Justice Andrew A. Caffrey of the U.S. District Court for Massachusetts. He enriched his law practice with pro bono work (advocating for the disadvantaged & those with mental illness) and often mentored paralegals and fledgling attorneys in his orbit. Later in his career, he taught several semesters of legal ethics and conflicts of law at Suffolk University. Neil had a broad and abiding appreciation of music including classical, folk, and opera. He routinely attended live performances offered by the Handel & Haydn Society, the Boston Symphony, and the NY Metropolitan Opera although he was equally content listening to recordings at home on a Sunday afternoon. Neil's passion for books and reading manifested in many ways; in addition to his floor-to-ceiling personal library, he was also a lifetime patron of the Boston Athenaeum and faithfully served on the Georgetown University Library Board for four decades. Often more a man of written than spoken words, he was known for frequently slipping articles of interest in the mail to family and friends and on special occasions, communicating via an artfully composed limerick. In his later, more fragile years, and as his world became smaller, he could be sighted perusing the Little Free Libraries of his neighborhood, ever in search of a good book. As a spiritual culmination of his love of text, fine music, and religious ritualâ€"potently informed by his Catholic upbringingâ€"he immensely enjoyed tuning in each week to the Boston University Marsh Chapel Sunday Service broadcast, including one last time on the day he died. A Celebration of Neil Moynihan's Life will be announced later in 2023.

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