Robert Hannan, president emeritus of the Hyde Park Historical Society sadly passed away at the age of 97 years.

ROBERT HANNAN OBITUARY

Hannan, Robert Francis Sr. In Boston, March 9, 2023, at 97 years of age. Beloved husband of the late Nancy Hughes Hannan and loving son of the late Jeremiah and Kathleen (nee Richards) Hannan. He is survived by his five children: Robert F. and his wife Lorrie Clark Hannan of Falls Church, VA.; Dr. Christopher W. and his wife Susan, of Weymouth; Dr. Mary K. and her husband Edmund Yee of Dalton, MA; Nancy L. and her husband Richard Rainer of Annapolis, MD; and Sally T. and her husband Paul Croarkin of Kensington, MD. Proud grandfather to 17 grandchildren, one great-grandchild, and devoted brother of the late William F. Hannan and the late Richard D. Hannan. He is survived by many loving nieces and nephews.

Robert F. Hannan grew up in Medford Hillside and was a graduate of Medford High School, class of 1944. He attended Northeastern University graduating in 1949. He began his career as a reporter for the Boston Herald Traveler. Robert married and moved to Hyde Park in 1959, embracing this community for the next 56 years. He became the Boston City Hall beat reporter, covering mayors Hynes, Collins, and White, before moving to the Massachusetts State House to cover statewide politics. He became the Research Director for the Boston City Council and retired in this role. He was a longtime officer of the Hyde Park Historical Society and the R.O.M.E.O. group for retired political reporters and politicians. He also founded the Companions of St. Joseph's Parish. Robert moved to Allerton House in Hingham in 2015, immersing himself in this community for the last years of his life. Camping throughout America and visiting many countries worldwide highlighted his love of travel. A gentleman in every sense of the word, his character and interest in everyone and everything around him made him an unforgettable friend to so many and a hero to his family.

A wake will be held on March 24, 2023, from 4:00-8:00 PM at the McDonald Keohane Funeral Home 40 Sea Street, NORTH WEYMOUTH, MA. There will be a Catholic Funeral Mass on March 25, 2023, at 10:00 AM at St. Paul's Church, 147 North Street, Hingham, MA. Burial is private.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Robert's memory may be made to the Hyde Park Historical Society, by using the donate button below or c/o Hyde Park Public Library, 35 Harvard Avenue, Hyde Park, MA 02136.

We encourage blood and other donations to be made to the Dana Farber Center. https://www.brighamandwomens.org/patients-and-families/blood-donation/blood-donation-center

Scan to donate by phone.

The Hyde Park Historical Society was founded in 1887 by Theodore Dwight Weld, an architect of the American abolitionist movement . The society maintains a unique collection of historic publications, images and artifacts dating from before the founding of Hyde Park in 1868. The historical collection is housed in Weld Hall - named after our founder - in the Hyde Park Branch of Boston Public Library.

From the founding of Hyde Park by the twenty associates of Fairmount Hill to the Civil war and the military encampment at Readville, with its story of the 54th and 55th African-American regiments, Hyde Park's early history includes events of national importance and stories of leading abolitionists, temperance activists, and women's rights activists. A cradle of early manufacturing and the industrialization of America, Hyde Park has a rich history and many stories still to tell.