Obituaries

Henry J. Bertolon of Quincy and Hingham, died on July 6, 2013 at the age of 87 after a struggle with Prostate Cancer. Mr. Bertolon was born in Dorchester, MA the son of Henry E. Bertolon and Mary Verrinoldi. As a youth he attended schools in Dorchester and graduated from Dorchester High School. Enlisting at the age of 17 during World War II, he served in the Navy where he was stationed in Pearl Harbor, and later Oahu, Hawaii under the leadership of Admiral Nimitz. Upon leaving the military with the rank of Radio Man 2nd Class, he returned to Dorchester to marry his sweetheart, Loretta J. Gillis, with whom he had faithfully exchanged letters from 1943—1946. He attended Massachusetts School of Barbering and worked at his father’s barbershop in Codman Square, Dorchester, eventually owning it. The couple chose to raise their 5 children, Carol, Nancy, Henry John Jr., Tom and Laura in Quincy and remained in the same house for 45 years. Throughout his days as a barber, Henry (‘Brud’, ‘Brother’, ‘Hank’) was always eager to supplement his income working at several jobs to pay the bills. He eventually sold the barbershop and began his career in municipal service work. Initially as a Code Inspector for the City of Quincy he was eventually tapped to work for Senator James R. McIntyre as his Senate Aid at the State House in Boston. He soon set his sights on a career as an assessor earning both his MMA and RMA accreditations. While working as an assessor he continued his studies becoming a CMA (Certified Massachusetts Assessor); at the time, only one of ten in a state with over 1800 assessors. This exclusive qualification provided him with an accomplished career spanning several municipalities: Quincy, Newton, Milton and Needham. Through continuing education he became a Certified Teacher of Assessing and Appraising—ultimately achieving in his final goal: to be elected as President of the Massachusetts Assessors Association. He retired from his last assessor post (Quincy) in 1995. In 2012 Henry was recognized for 60 years of active membership in The American Legion. He was one of the founding members of the Originally From Dorchester (OFD) Society—faithfully meeting one Tuesday every month for over 40 years. After moving to Hingham, Henry enjoyed many years of retirement. Yearly trips to Florida in the winter were complete with active walks and robust biking trips. He also explored many parts of Europe touring the Rhine River on several occasions, sightseeing in Russia and several cruise ship excursions. He remained very active up until April of this year.

Husband of the late Loretta J. (Gillis) Bertolon, he is survived by his daughter, Carol A. Dorn and her husband Michael P. Dorn of Braintree, his son Henry J. Bertolon Jr. and his wife Donna Bertolon of Beverly, his son Thomas H. Bertolon and his wife Marie Bertolon of Peoria, AZ and his daughter Laurie Donovan and her husband Stephen Donovan of Braintree Ma. In addition to his eleven grandchildren he leaves six great grandchildren. Henry was the father of the late Mary Elizabeth Bertolon and the late Nancy DiPaolo and the brother of Edythe Burke of Braintree and the late Marilynn O’Donnell. Henry’s loving partner of over 15 years, Luella Harlos lives in Marshfield.

Visiting hours will be held on Tuesday, July 9 from 4:00 to 8:00PM at the Dennis Sweeney Funeral Home 74 Elm St. Quincy Center. Family and friends are invited. On Wednesday there will be gathering at the funeral home at 10:00AM followed by a Funeral Service at 11:00AM at St. Mary’s Church, 115 Crescent St., W. Quincy. Burial is in Blue Hill Cemetery.

Donations in Henry’s memory may be made to American Cancer Society, 30 Speen St. Framingham, MA 01701 www.cancer.org.