Michael J. McManus
Retired Winthrop Police Chief
Michael J. McManus, retired Police Chief for the Town of Winthrop passed away on December 22. He was 80 years old.
The beloved husband of Francine R. (Silva) McManus, he was born in the Mission Hill section of Boston, the cherished son of the late Thomas and Nancy (O’Reilly) McManus.
Michael served six years in the U.S Army Reserve from 1961 to 1967. He joined the Winthrop Police Department as a Reserve Officer on October 27, 1966 and became a Permanent Full-Time Officer on February 26, 1968. He became a Sergeant on June 2, 1983 and served in that position until his subsequent promotion to Lieutenant on March 14, 1988. Mike served as Acting Chief twice, from January 31, 1995 to July 26, 1995 and from July 1, 1999 to March 13, 2000 before becoming the permanent Chief of Police on December 26, 2000.
Michael was the devoted father of Maureen Hill and her husband, Brad of Martha’s Vineyard, Paula McManus of Wellesley, Michael McManus and his wife, Christine of Winthrop, Deborah McManus of Hopkinton, Thomas McManus and his wife, Vicka of Boston, Sheri DeSimone of Revere, Joseph Generazzo of Boston and Kimberly MacElree and her husband, Scott of Winthrop. He was the adored “Papa’ and “Grampy†to Erin and Devin Hill, Olivia and Jake McManus, Kierin and Henry McManus, Skyla and Vittorio DeSimone, Dominic, Anyia, Guilianna and Jaxon Generazzo and Cody, Tyler and Alexis MacElree; the dear brother of Anne Reidy and her husband, Richard of Melrose, Winifred Schlehuber and her late husband, Andy of Mission Hill, the late Thomas McManus and his surviving wife, Betty of Chestnut Hill and the late Patricia Jankauska. He was the brother-in-law of Joseph Silva and his wife, Cynthia and uncle to Evan Silva. Michael is also survived by his beloved “fury friend,†Coco.
His funeral will be from the Maurice W. Kirby Funeral Home, 210 Winthrop St., Winthrop today, Thursday, December 29 at 9 a.m. followed by a Funeral Mass in St. Michaels Parish-Winthrop at 10 a.m. Relatives and friends are invited.
Interment will be in Winthrop Cemetery (Belle Isle Section).
In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory can be made to the MSPCA, 350 S. Huntington Ave. Jamaica Plain, MA. 02130 or to the Massachusetts Police Assn. 11 Beacon St. Suite 300, Boston, MA. 02108.To sign Michael’s guestbook, please visit: www.mauricekirbyfh.com.
Eileen Barker
Costume designer member for
Winthrop Playmakers
Eileen M. (Hurley) Barker of Eaton, NH, formerly of Winthrop and Charlestown, passed away on December 22. She was 89 years old. Eileen was the beloved wife of the late Robert Barker and the cherished daughter of the late Maurice and Gertrude (Sullivan) Hurley.
She attended Salem Teachers College after graduating from Girls High School in Boston. She enjoyed her career as a Phlebotomist at Boston Hospital before starting a Family and was a Medical Board Investigator for the state after raising her children.
Eileen was very creative and enjoyed community theater, designing costumes for all cast members for a variety of musicals. She was a member of the Winthrop Playmakers.
Eileen was the devoted mother of Jay Dacey and his wife, Marylynne of Norwell, Laurie Ann Melanson and her husband, Bill of Wentworth, NH, Robert Barker Jr. and his partner, Tim Ostendorf of Eaton, NH and Pamela Barker and Karl McMaster of Effingham, NH. Eileen was also the guardian of the late Joel Holley.
She was the adored grandmother of Sean Burgess, William and Marykate Melanson and Jack and Katelyn Dacey, the dear sister of the late Josephine King and Robert and Maurice Hurley.
Visiting hours were held in the Maurice W. Kirby Funeral Home, 210 Winthrop St., Winthrop on Wednesday, December 28 followed by a funeral service in the funeral home and interment in Winthrop Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory can be made to the Joslin Diabetes Center, 1 Joslin Pl., Boston, MA. 02215. To sign Eileen’s guestbook, please visit: www.mauricekirbyfh.com.