Obituary of Francis M. Tiernan, III

Francis M. Tiernan, III, “Frank”, age 80, of Carver, Massachusetts passed away peacefully on January 30, 2024 with his family by his side. He was the beloved husband of 60 years to Dorothy (Ricci) Tiernan. He and Dottie attended Roslindale High School together but actually met at age 15 at a church dance. The rest, as they say, is history. 

Being with his family was his greatest joy and Frank liked to start lively debates with them, despite their eye rolling in response. Frank was the devoted father of Mary Theresa Tiernan of Canton, MA, Cheryl Catton of Carver, MA, and Francis M. Tiernan, IV and his wife, Joanne of Sparks, NV. He was a loving and extremely proud grandfather to Sarah (Catton) Culbert and her husband Zachary, Francis M. Tiernan V, Megan Catton, Reese Tiernan, and Lucas Tiernan. He was well loved and respected by them all, and is already greatly missed. 

Frank was born in Boston to Francis M. Tiernan, II and Dorothy J. (MacDonald) Tiernan on March 14, 1943. He and his late brother, James, were raised lovingly by their hard-working single mother. Frank passed on his love of time spent with family to his children, grandchildren, nieces, and nephews, particularly LCDR, USN (Ret) James Tiernan, Jr. and his wife, Laura. Shortly after the family moved to Carver in 1972, they installed an in-ground pool, much to his children’s joy. What they didn’t know until they were much older, however, was that their father decided to install the pool in order to ensure his children and their friends would always be close to home. Because of this, the Tiernan house was filled with family and neighborhood pool parties and barbecues for more than 30 summers. 

Frank worked as a service manager for Diebold, Inc., and as a salesman for Zep Manufacturing. He was an Ocean Spray cranberry grower for nearly 10 years. After retirement, he enjoyed a part-time job at Hannaford Supermarket, working with his daughter Cheryl. He loved spending time fishing at the Cape Cod Canal and was happy when on the water. He spent time as a navigator on the Thirsty Pilgrim racing boat. Frank also loved golf, driving and watching stock car races.

Visiting hours will be held on Saturday, February 3rd from 2-6:00 PM at the Shepherd Funeral Home, 116 Main St. (Rt. 58) Carver. A funeral mass will be held on Monday, February 5th at 11:00 am at Our Lady of Lourdes Church, 130 Main St. Carver. 

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you please donate lifesaving blood and platelets through the Kraft Family Blood Donor Center (dana-farber.org/how-you-can-help/get-involved/donate-blood-platelets) or the American Red Cross. They are grateful to and wish to thank Corey Cutler, MD, MPH; NP Patricia Severns; and the team of oncology nurses at Dana Farber Cancer Institute for their care and support during the past 17 years.

To honor Frank’s memory, friends are encouraged to enjoy a cup of clam chowder, a good steak, and a nice long afternoon nap.