John A. Lucey

HOLYOKE- John A. Lucey, age 94 of Lawler Street and a long time city assessor, passed gently and peacefully through the open door into heaven, surrounded by the love of his family on April 17, 2012. Born in Northampton, John moved to Holyoke at an early age and graduated from Sacred Heart High School and the Business School in Northampton. John was a loving son, husband and devoted father, grandfather and great-grandfather who always put his family first in his life. Family was everything to him. He was also regarded by many as the finest Holyoke City Official of his generation, retiring as the City Assessor with accolades and a city-wide Proclamation declaring his retirement date "John A. Lucey Day" throughout the city. This was noted on the front page of the Holyoke Daily Transcript. In his more than 30 years of service to the City of Holyoke John served as City Assessor as well as the assistant tax collector and the chairman of the Board of Assessors. He was a past president of the Massachusetts Assessors Association and a member of the State Assessors Executive Board, a past president and treasurer of the Hampden-Hampshire County Assessors Association, and was the only assessor in the Commonwealth with tenure on the job. Prior to his outstanding service to the City of Holyoke, John served his country in the United States Army during WWII as a 1st Sergeant of Company A 263rd Engineer Combat Battalion serving in Europe. John was also a charter member of the former Elmwood Lodge, serving as its president for many years. He was the dean of the Massachusetts Assessors School at the University of Massachusetts. John was the first clerk of the St. Patrick's Parade Committee. He was a communicant of Blessed Sacrament Church. John was predeceased by his parents John Patrick and Abigal (Feeney) Ludey as well as by his wife of 65 years Helen (Borlen) Lucey. John leaves four children: Helen Meschke and her husband Carl of Holyoke; Maryanne O'Brien of Holyoke; John J. Lucey and his wife Penny of Plymouth; and Rosemary Rozak and her husband Kenneth of Westfield; 7 grandchildren: Megan Rosemary Rozak and her husband Nicholas Osborn of Alexandria, VA; John Rozak of Westfield, MA and West Dover, VT; Maureen Rose Meschke Dixon and her husband Brian of Medford, NJ; Jennifer and Brian Alves of Stoneham, MA; John J. Lucey, Jr. and his wife Sarah of Hingham, MA; Patrick Laurence Lucey and his fiancé Kathryn Harris of Boston; and Timothy Ryan Lucey of Plymouth, MA; 5 great-grandchildren: Colleen Rose, Lindsey Theresa and Madison Rose, Brian Alves, Jr., and Erin Elizabeth Lucey. The funeral will be held Monday morning at 9am from the Barry J. Farrell Funeral Home, 2049 Northampton St. Holyoke, followed by a funeral Mass in Blessed Sacrament Church at 10am. Burial will follow in St. Rose Cemetery, South Hadley. Calling hours will be held Sunday from 2 to 4pm. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in John's memory to: Ovations for the Cure, 251 West Central St., Suite 35, Natick, MA 01760