Francis "Frank" Herlihy ... longtime Army man, teacher



Francis "Frank" Herlihy ... longtime Army man, teacher | Francis "Frank" Herlihy

ROCHESTER - Francis "Frank" Herlihy, Lt. Colonel, U.S. Army (retired), died peacefully in his sleep on Sunday, January 7, 2018, at the Charlestown Retirement Community in Catonsville, Md. He was born in Woburn, Mass., on November 2, 1928; the youngest child of Grace (O'Keefe) and James Leo Herlihy.
He was married to the love of his life, the late Grace Helen (Lord) Herlihy, for 65 years before her death in 2014. He was preceded in death by his infant son, Matthew Gregory Herlihy, and all his siblings; Julia O'Brien, Marie Dussinger, Leo Herlihy, Grace Perkins, and Dorothea Donnelly.
Frank attended Winchester High School, playing varsity football all four years which gave him a lifelong love of football. He received his bachelor's degree from the University of Nebraska and his master's degree in education from Bowie State University. Frank enlisted in the US Army in 1946 as a private and rose to the rank of Lt. Colonel before retiring in 1977. He always said his time as an enlisted soldier made him a better officer. He had a variety of posts throughout the United States and served in Germany, Korea, Turkey, and Vietnam.
He retired to Rochester, New Hampshire, starting a second career as an elementary school teacher and reading specialist. He believed that if you taught a child to read well early in life they could learn anything from then on.
He also loved baking delicious treats to share and everyone loved that! Frank and Grace continued to take trips around the world for many years until relocating to Charlestown in 2011.
He is survived by his children, Michael Herlihy (and Anne Darr) of Clarksville, Maryland; Timothy (and Carol) Herlihy of Flemington, New Jersey; Kathryn Hutchinson of Millersville, Maryland; and Patrick Herlihy of Portland, Oregon; plus six grandchildren and one great-granddaughter.