Obituary of William Joseph Cunneen

William Joseph (Bill) Cunneen, Jr., age 87, formerly of Duxbury, passed peacefully away, while surrounded by family on Sunday, August 23, 2015, at the Golden Living Center in Plymouth. Bill was born on September 23, 1927, in Worcester and raised in Southbridge, the son of the late William J. Cunneen, Sr. of Southbridge and Grace C. (King) Cunneen of Wales, MA. He was married to Helen Jeanne (Kessling) Cunneen (deceased) of Reading Ohio, his wife of 60 years, the couple married in 1952. They lived in West Roxbury, Cleveland, Ohio and then Duxbury. Duxbury became home to the Cunneen family for many years before Bill & Jeanne sought warmer climes in several communities along the East Coast. Bill Graduated from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in 1951 with a BSME and subsequently from the University of Cincinnati with a Masters in Economics in 1952. Honorably discharged, he served in the U.S. Navy as an Aviation Electronic Technician’s Mate from 1946 through 1947. Bill was a long term employee of the Bailey Meter Company in Wickliffe, Ohio and Stone & Webster Engineering Corporation in Boston, MA, before forming his own consulting company, he worked as an Instrumentation and Controls Engineer his entire life. He was a Registered Professional Engineer and member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Bill loved tennis, boating, fishing, political discussions, American History, and travel. Together, he and Jeanne visited France, Austria, the Caribbean, Central America, Bermuda, England and Ireland. He was the father of eight; Mr. Cunneen is survived by seven children, Robert A. Cunneen and his wife Rhonda of Kingston, Richard J. Cunneen of Sacramento, CA, Mary Ruprecht and her husband Michael of Kingston, Thomas M. Cunneen and his wife Elizabeth of Beverly, Anne J. Sullivan and her husband Richard of Plymouth, David B. Cunneen and his wife Betsy of Cocoa Beach, FL, Julie K. Lassiter and her husband Richard of Raleigh, NC. He was the father of the late William Joseph Cunneen III. He is also survived by numerous nieces and nephews, five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren, Alicia (Ruprecht) Whipple and her husband Colby of Plymouth, Alex and Megan Lassiter of Raleigh, NC, Trisha Sullivan, and Terrence Sullivan and his wife Kara, Emma Sullivan, Molly Sullivan, Hannah Sullivan, all from Middleboro and Taylor and Jameson Whipple of Plymouth. There will be no visiting hours. His funeral Mass will be held at Saint Peter's Church, 86 Court Street, Plymouth, on Thursday, August 27, 2015, at 10:00 AM. Interment services will be private. In lieu of flowers, contributions in his memory may be made to the Golden Living Center, Attention: Resident Activities Fund, 19 Obery Street, Plymouth, MA 02360.