On Monday, Nov. 5, Bradford resident Martin R. Hanley Jr., surrounded by his loving family, passed away peacefully at home at age 72 after fighting a courageous battle with cancer.
Born on Sept. 16, 1946 in Winchester, he was the son of the late Martin R. and Barbara L. (Johnson) Hanley and was raised in Reading, attending Reading High School. After serving in the Marines during the Vietnam War, he graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Massachusetts in 1974 and obtained a Masters in business administration from UMass in1975. Honored by the Massachusetts Society of Certified Public Accountants for passing the entire CPA exam at first sitting in May 1974, he embarked on a career in public accounting, finance and business, becoming vice president of A.J. Lane, director of finance and administration and then president of Polymer Design Corporation, and vice president of finance and administration at QC Solutions, Inc. On April 19, 1980, he married Francoise Dubé, the love of his life.
Hanley loved deeply and lived fully, making family his first priority. A man of integrity and commitment, he possessed a joie de vivre and a sense of adventure. He and Francoise traveled throughout the U.S. (often in their RV), Canada and Europe and to homes in Sebring, Fla., and North Woodstock, N.H., where they were often joined by family. Kind and very generous, Hanley was also charismatic and had a wonderful sense of humor. Laughing, teasing, joking, he was the life of a party. He loved golf and was a voracious reader. He was also a member of the American Legion.
Along with his loving wife, surviving family members include his devoted children, Claude Marquis and his significant other Paula Copeland of Milo, Maine, Richard Marquis of Bangor, Maine, Nancy Gorman and husband Rick of Methuen; sisters, Linda Morris of Portland, Maine, Barbara Gallant and husband Tom of Crystal Lake, Ill.; cherished grandchildren, Nicholas and Robert Wormald, Wayne and Joshua Marquis and Amanda Marquis Torosian, Michael and Lyndsey Gorman, Georges Niang; and many nieces, nephews and cousins.
The family thanks Dana-Farber and Merrimack Valley Hospice for their support during Hanley’s struggle.
Visiting hours will be held on Thursday, Nov. 8, in the Driscoll Funeral Home, 309 South Main St., Haverhill from 4-7 p.m. Services will begin Friday in the funeral home at 10:30 a.m. Funeral Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated in St. Michael Church, 196 Main St., North Andover at 11:30 a.m. Burial with U.S. Marine Corps honors will follow in Elmwood Cemetery, Salem Street, Haverhill. In lieu of flowers, contributions in his memory may be made to the Dana-Farber Community Cancer Care in Lawrence or The Family Movement (TMF), 826 Riverside Drive, Methuen, MA, 01844, a cause close to Hanley’s heart that was started by his grandson Michael.