William F. Linnehan, Iii

Linnehan, III, William F. of Hingham, a member of the Greatest Generation, beloved husband, father and grandfather, passed away on April 28, 2009 at the age of 84. Born and raised in Jamaica Plain, Mr. Linnehan enlisted in the Army-Air Corps and served his country during World War II from 1943-1946. He was a proud member of the 351st Bomb Group, Eighth Air Force, earning his B-17 flight engineer wings. After the war, Mr. Linnehan received his undergraduate and juris doctorate degrees from Boston University. He was a member of the Massachusetts Bar for 50 years. By far, the majority of his professional career was spent fighting crime. Mr. Linnehan served as a special agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Air Force Office of Special Investigations. He was later appointed a Suffolk County Assistant District Attorney and a Commonwealth Assistant Attorney General. After retiring from public service as the Attorney General’s Assistant Director of Special Investigations, Mr. Linnehan finished his law career in private practice. Mr. Linnehan is predeceased by parents, William F. Linnehan Jr., and Mary O’Connell Linnehan, both of Massachusetts, and wife Kathryn R. Linnehan of Hingham, MA. He leaves five children: William F. Linnehan, IV and his wife Joan, working for the US Government in Okinawa, Japan; James M. Linnehan of Worcester, MA; Garrett B. Linnehan of Mashpee, MA; Ellen M. Roberson of Richmond, VA; and Holly K. Reagan and her husband Ron of Alexandria, VA. Mr. Linnehan was also a loving grandfather and leaves behind 9 grandchildren who will miss him dearly. Mr. Linnehan was an active member of the Boston Union Club and a Boston Athenaeum proprietor. He loved reading poetry, watching Fred Astaire movies, and listening to Cole Porter and Irving Berlin music. He was an avid sailor and raised champion Irish Wolf Hounds. He was a lifelong member of the Catholic Church and a Knight of Columbus. Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to attend the Life Celebration service in the Pyne Keohane Funeral Home, 21 Emerald St. (Off Central St.) Hingham, at 9:15 AM Monday followed by a Funeral Mass in St. Paul’s Church, Hingham at 10 AM. Visiting Hours will be held on Sunday from 2 PM – 6 PM. Burial will be at the Massachusetts National Cemetery, Bourne, MA. Memorial donations in memory of Mr. Linnehan may be made to the Autism Society of America, 7910 Woodmont Ave., Ste. 300, Bethesda, MD 20814-3067 or by phone at 1-800-328-8476.