John C. Mongan

MANCHESTER - John Clarence Mongan passed away peacefully on June 20, 2013, after a long and wonderful life. A former mayor of Manchester, he was born in Manchester on April 17, 1925, the seventh of eight children of John and Anne (Frain) Mongan, both of whom were from Ireland.

Mr. Mongan grew up on Granite Street, on the West Side. He attended St. Raphael Parish, Varney Grammar School and Manchester High School West. After completing one semester at Boston University, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy during World War II and attended officer candidate training at Tufts University. He was commissioned a naval officer in the Supply Corps. During this period, his sister formally introduced him to a nursing student, whom he had often noticed and spoken about. She was Mary Mahoney of Manchester, and they began to date, encouraged by Mary's father, who approved of the young naval officer. John and Mary were married on Sept. 27, 1947.

After the war, Mr. Mongan completed his bachelor's degree at Boston University, and was called to active duty during the Korean War. His duty stations included Naval Air Station Glenview, Ill., Naval Base Norfolk, Va., as well as numerous surface ships. He was most proud of his experiences as a supply officer aboard the aircraft carrier USS Midway.

Following active service, he and his wife returned to Manchester. He remained a naval reservist while working for the New England Telephone Company. He served two terms as mayor of Manchester, 1962-1964 and 1968-1970. Mr. Mongan was a very forward thinker about the development of the city and championed Manchester's participation in the federal government Model Cities Program. He spearheaded the development of the Brown Avenue Industrial Park, which was named for him in 2011. In addition to his two terms as mayor, he served as town manager of Ipswich, Mass., city manager of Prospect, Ill., and director of city planning for Lynn, Mass.

He earned a master's degree from Northeastern University. He also served as the regional administrator for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development under President Ronald Reagan. In 1986, Mr. Mongan and his wife, Mary, who was the commissioner of the N.H. Department of Health and Human Services, were included in the book, "New Hampshire Notables," and highlighted as a power couple in an article in the Boston Globe. During his retirement, he wrote several articles and booklets on his favorite subject: the history of Manchester.

Mr. Mongan and his wife had lived in their home at 22 Elizabeth Ave. since 1953, where they were communicants of Blessed Sacrament Church. Family and friends knew Mr. Mongan as a great storyteller in the Irish tradition. He often regaled his children, nieces, nephews and grandchildren with stories of growing up near Granite Square on the West Side, the early days at West High School, studying at Boston University and adventures in the U.S. Navy. Among his favorite memories were stories about his newspaper delivery route (the largest in the city at the time), roller-skating at the old Bedford Grove and accompanying his father during his routes as a Manchester streetcar conductor.

Family members include, his wife, Mary; a daughter and son-in-law, Kathleen and Robert Thies of Bedford; a son and daughter-in-law, Michael and Maurene Mongan of San Diego; grandsons Evan Thies of New York City, Conor Mongan of Austin, Texas, and Sean Mongan of San Diego; a granddaughter, Julia Thies Moore and her husband, Taylor, of San Francisco; two sisters, Helen Gallup of New Jersey and Estella Hughes of Bedford; and many nieces and nephews.

He was predeceased by his brother, Philip Mongan; and sisters, Irena, Hilda and Velma Mongan and Elsie Daly.

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Services: Relatives and friends may call at the Connor-Healy Funeral Home and Cremation Center, 537 Union St., corner of Concord Street, Manchester, on Sunday, June 23, from 3 to 7 p.m.

The funeral will be held Monday, June 24, with a Mass of Christian burial to be celebrated at 10 a.m. in Saint Elizabeth Seton Church, Bedford.

Burial will take place in Saint Joseph Cemetery, Bedford.

Memorial donations may be made to Manchester High School West, 9 Notre Dame Ave., Manchester 03102.

For more information or to view the online guest registry, please visit: www.connorhealy.com.