Keohane Funeral Home

Ronald Michael Campanelli, a loyal and lifelong resident of Braintree, was surrounded by his family his whole life, so it was a true gift to have his entire family with him as he entered eternal life on Saturday, September 17, 2022 at the age of 82. 

Born in Brockton on July 6, 1940, son of Michael and Josephine (Farina) Campanelli. He joined his sister Francesca (Campanelli) Dodd in a hardworking and food loving Italian family.  In 1958 he graduated from Archbishop Williams HS, Braintree where he met the love of his life, Mary Margaret (Liva,) and where “the happy days” began. He graduated from Boston College in 1962 where he played on the hockey team and cherished being a faithful son of Boston College. Soon after graduating, Ron and Mary were married. He graduated from Suffolk Law School, Juris Doctorate in 1966 while raising a growing family with Mary.  

Ron also served proudly in the U.S. Marine Corp, receiving his honorable release in 1965. 

Ron’s career was dedicated to the family business, Campanelli Companies, retiring in 2014.  He accumulated a wealth of information about everything related to real estate and freely shared his knowledge for the advancement of the industry.  His focus was mainly on legal and financial matters.  It was very important to him to be fair and honest. What meant the most was inspiring the next generation to maintain the great reputation and succession of a business started by his father and his uncles. He lived to see this dream. Ron also served as a trusted advisor to many people and sat on the board of multiple organizations. One of his fondest roles was serving in his hometown on the board of the former Braintree Cooperative Bank with whom he made many close friends.

In his personal life, Ron had many loves, first of which was Mary.  He made sure each day of her life was the best day she would ever have. It is a love story of complementarity that only God could create.  He loved his daughters and the sons they brought to him as husbands.  Grandchildren added pure pleasure to an already rich life.   

He loved nature and the miracle of four distinct seasons which gave him the snow beneath his skis, the ice beneath his skates and the waves beneath his boat. He loved sports and the lessons learned from competition, greatly respecting the skill and discipline required in his daughters’ many Irish step dancing events. He loved to travel, especially to visit Italian and Irish family, always with a heart toward deepening the relationships.  He loved Snoopy and the Peanuts gang who shared valuable lessons on how to live a good life in simple terms. Like St. Francis, he adored the many pets and their unconditional love. His heart became filled by quietly and humbly helping people with his generosity. Clearly, he loved God, as he knew without fear, he was being called Home.  

Ron is survived by Mary (Liva) his loving wife of over 60 years, his four daughters and their devoted husbands, whom he called his own sons: Lisa and Stephen Cadigan of Needham, Ronna and Jay Petrilli of Braintree, Suzanne and David Brownell of Pompano Beach, FL, and Andrea and John Garvey of Braintree.  Four adoring grandchildren: Nicole and Marina Petrilli, Jack Garvey and Christina Cadigan, all received the love for life from “Nonno”.  He is also survived by his devoted and loving sister, Francesca (Campanelli) Dodd and her husband Richard Dodd, of S. Yarmouth, his nephews Richard, Michael and Anthony Dodd, and many wonderful Campanelli, DeMarco, Farina, Liva, DaForno and Kelly cousins and very dear close friends.

Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to greet the  family during the visiting hours on Friday, September 30, 2022, from 3:00-7:00 PM in the McDonald Keohane Funeral Home, 809 Main Street, Weymouth. 

A Celebration of Life service will be held in the funeral home on Saturday morning Oct. 1 at 8:15am followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at St. Francis of Assisi Church, 856 Washington Street, Braintree on Saturday, October 1, at 9:30 AM

Services will conclude with interment in Blue Hill Cemetery, Braintree. 

In lieu of flowers and to honor the caregivers who share their skill and steady guidance to patients in hospice care, kindly consider a memorial contribution in Ron’s name to Seasons Hospice Foundation, 1 Edgewater Drive, Suite 103 Norwood, MA  02062 Attention: Sandy Desmond or donate online through the following link:  SeasonsFoundation.org/Donate