Published in the September 29, 2017 edition
BERWICK, Maine — Philip P. McGonagle, Jr., of N. Berwick, Maine, formerly of Malden. Phil, more well-known to all as “Bumpa”, was a member of “The Greatest Generation” and served his family, his country, and his community giving much to all. Phil grew up in Medford and attended Medford High School, graduating with the class of 1942. Following high school, he enlisted in the United States Army and served with the U.S. Army Medical Corps, 44th Field Hospital in the China-Burma-India Theater as a surgical technician rising to the rank of Sergeant. There, he helped treat the sick and wounded troops, including Merrill’s Marauders and the 475th Infantry. For years he rarely spoke of the war, but as he grew older, he did share stories of his experiences with his family and friends. While in his eighties, he participated in a World War II project with students from the Malden Public Schools in which an oral history of the war was taken and submitted to The Library of Congress. Educating the younger generation about the sacrifices that were made so they could enjoy the freedoms they have was very important to him. One of the best days of his life came a few years back when he was reunited with a fellow soldier from the war whom he had not seen since the day he returned from the war. The two shared a day looking over old photos, sharing stories, and remembering those who never made it home.
Phil met the love of his life, Mary (Russell), after he returned from the war and they married on May 2, 1953. Together they raised five children at the family home on Emerald Street. Having lost his own mother at the age of nine, building a strong, close family was always Phil’s main focus. Their marriage was one for the books, with laughter and living simply at the core. Some of their most cherished times were spent at “Chalet Magoo” in Center Conway, New Hampshire where “pots and pans parades” and country living made for some everlasting memories with wonderful life-long friends and neighbors. A sidewalk brick in North Conway Center, near The Met, pays tribute to all that the family shared in the beautiful White Mountains.
Phil became a Malden Firefighter in 1961. He loved being a part of this brotherhood and proudly served with Ladder Company 3, Group 3. He spent many years in Car 2 as the Deputy Aid. He was past president of Malden Fire Local 902 and past president of the Malden Fire Relief Association. A firefighter through and through, one of his proudest moments was passing his badge, number 86, on to his son, Jimmy, when he retired in 1989. In addition to being a firefighter, Phil was also an X-ray Technician at Melrose-Wakefield Hospital for over twenty years. There he enjoyed the friendship of many including other technicians, nurses, doctors and other staff.
An active member of the Immaculate Conception Church in Malden, Phil served as a President of the Holy Name Society. He was also one of the original members of the Irish American Association in Malden.
Phil had a wide variety of interests. He was a coin collector for most of his life, amassing quite an impressive collection. He would often hand a rare or unusual coin to a young child he just met to spark their interest in coin collecting. In folk art fashion, he whittled a variety of incredible characters out of a blocks of wood, an art form he learned from a fellow firefighter. Then he would often pass them off to his “Burma Daughter” for a finishing touch of paint. These figurines found their way into the homes of many friends and family and have become cherished treasures. He loved dabbling in the arts, which led to pencil sketches of beautiful scenes and interesting people, as well as to a drawing of the family tree with all its “branches and leaves”. Phil loved to sing and was a former member of the Princemen Chorus. He was a dreamer and found beauty in everything around him, especially in the clouds, and he would always be pointing out the objects he could see in their shapes.
Through the years, Phil was the strong shoulder we all sought as we dealt with several family tragedies. He was our patriarch, the rock, the voice of wisdom, the jokester that took the edge off a tense situation. His personal trials, of which there were many, showed us all the kind of man he truly was, the kind of man the men of our family strive to be. He was a respected role model as husband and father, as firefighter, as friend.
The bigger the family grew the happier it made him. He loved (and entertained) his twelve grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren. And they all loved THEIR “Bumpa”! But Phil was everyone’s “Bumpa”. People were drawn to him like a magnet. He always had a story or a joke or a one-liner for everyone. He was quite a flirt too! His baby blue eyes would melt your heart and he used them to his advantage.
Phil and Mary celebrated 61 years of marriage before her death in 2014. Boy did he miss his Mary! He missed writing her corn flake messages on the kitchen counter and laughing himself silly over their crazy antics. Since Mary’s death Phil’s daughter, Kathy, has lovingly cared for him in his own home right up to his final days and, in his words, looked over him “as a parent watches over a child”. He was so grateful.
True to Bumpa’s style he left us all a letter “to be read when all are together”. In it he wrote about the love he had for the family he had created and told us that “without any tears” he wanted all of us to “relax and enjoy the rest of your lives with your families and grow with them as I have with you all”. So aside from the “without any tears” part we will do just that, in his honor. And we will look to the sky on beautiful clear sky days, which are sure to remind us of his baby blues, for the “pictures” in the clouds we hope he now will have a hand in creating.
Phil was the beloved husband of the late Mary M. (Russell) McGonagle for 61 years. Loving father of Patricia Amirault and her husband Gerald of Malden, Jimmy McGonagle and his wife Mary Ann of Wilmington, Kathleen Spencer and her husband Michael of North Berwick, Maine, John McGonagle and his wife Janine of Medford, and Mary Frances Lee and her husband David of Barrington, New Hamshire. Cherished grandfather of Bryan and his wife, Jennifer, Gerrilyn and her husband, Michael, Katie and her husband, Eric, Justin and his wife Laura, Michelle and her husband, James, Philip, Lauren, John, Jessica, Brendan, Brody and predeceased by grandson Jimmy. Devoted great grandfather of Drew, Kayla, Kyle, Jimmy, Emma, Brayden, Caroline, Zoe, Ava and Morgan. Caring brother of Kathleen Duffy and her late husband John of Stoneham and the late Phyllis McGonagle and Raymond McGonagle. Also survived by many nieces, nephews relatives and friends.
Funeral from the Gately Funeral Home 79 W. Foster St., Melrose on Friday, Sept. 29 at 8:45 a.m., followed by a Mass of Christian Burial in St. Mary’s Church, Herbert St., Melrose at 10 a.m. Relatives and friends respectfully invited to attend. Visiting hours on Thursday Sept. 28 from 4 – 8 p.m. Burial in Oak Grove Cemetery, Medford. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in Philip’s name to the James M. McGonagle III Scholarship Fund, C/O Brookline Bank, 430 High St., Medford, MA 02155.
For directions & to sign online condolence visit www.gatelyfh.com
