John T. Harney

John Thomas Harney (92) of Medfield passed away at home with family on December 17, 2025. Born on May 13, 1933 in Peabody, MA, he was the son of the late Margaret (O'Brien) and Thomas Harney of Danvers, MA and the younger of two children.

John graduated from Boston College High School ('52) and Boston College ('56) with a degree in English. After college, he went on to earn a Master's of Arts in Philosophy ('60) and Master's of Education in Secondary Education ('64), both from Boston College.

He entered the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) after Boston College. During his time in the Jesuits, he earned a Licentiate in Philosophy from Weston School of Theology and taught at Boston College High School. After six years in the Jesuits, compelling family circumstances caused him to leave the Society and he was recommended to a teaching position at Catholic Memorial.

John met Mary Wynn in 1962 and they married in 1964. After the Jesuits, in his own words, John "moved on, in time, to a most happily married life blessed with a simply marvelous wife and four much loved daughters." John and Mary moved to Medfield in 1965 where they raised their daughters, maintained and formed close friendships, and served the community on numerous committees. John and Mary were devoted parishioners of Saint Edward's Parish in Medfield for well over fifty years.

John's business career was in educational and scholarly book publishing, a field he viewed as directly connected to the academic life fostered by the Jesuits as well as to his years of teaching. He first worked at Harper and Row and later at DC Heath (Raytheon). Over the years, he had varied and challenging experiences in field sales, editorial product acquisition, manuscript development, and general management. He co-founded a scholarly and academic publishing company, Auburn House Publishing, and served as its president. In his later years, he continued working in the field as a consultant and editor.

An active participant in the Medfield community and local government, John served terms on multiple boards, most notably two terms on the Medfield School

Committee and two terms on the Medfield Board of Selectmen. He was a staunch advocate for the preservation of open space in the town of Medfield and on the Medfield State Hospital property in particular. He worked tirelessly for decades on projects dedicated to cleaning up and protecting aspects of the Medfield State Hospital property. In 2011, John received the Charles River Watershed Association Citizen Activist Award and in 2012, John received the Medfield Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award for Civic and Community Leadership.

John is survived by daughters, Christine Marie and Eileen Marie Harney; sister-in-law, Christine (Wynn) Maloney; sister-in-law, Rosann Wynn; and many nieces, nephews, grandnieces, and grandnephews. He is preceded by his wife, Mary (Wynn) Harney; his daughters, Jeanne Marie Harney McCormick and Margaret Marie Harney; sister, Joanne K. Harney; sisters-in-law Margaret (Wynn) Cassidy and Joan Wynn; brothers-in-law, Robert Wynn, James Wynn, and David Maloney.

John did not have many immediate or extended blood relations. He did, however, make and keep friendships throughout his life, some from childhood, some from his years of schooling and the Jesuits, and some from his adult years. He would frequently comment that his friends were his family. While he is survived by many dear friends, many more have preceded him. John has quoted W. B. Yeats in the past, "my glory was I had such friends."

Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Tuesday, December 30th at 10:00 a.m. at Saint Edward the Confessor Church, 133 Spring St., Medfield. The burial will follow at Medfield's Vine Lake Cemetery. Visiting Hours will be Monday, December 29th from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the Roberts Mitchell Caruso Funeral Home, 15 Miller St., Medfield.