John Halahan

JOHN HALAHAN Age 89 of Wellington, Florida, died at home on September 30th, 2007 after a year long struggle with heart disease. He was preceded in death by his wife of 65 years, Jeannette Trescott Gorman Halahan, who died September 14th, 2007. Mr. Halahan was born at home on April 17th, 1918 in Belle Valley, Ohio. John was the second and the oldest surviving of ten children. He graduated from high school in 1933 at age 16 during the height of the depression and spent the year after high school in the Civilian Conservation Corps (the CCC). In 1935, he joined the Navy, earning the nickname ?Chips? for his work as a carpenter?s mate. In 1937, John was accepted to the Naval Academy Prep School. He entered the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis in 1938 as part of the class of 1942. After his tenure in the Navy, during World War II, John went to work at Sperry Gyroscope in Brooklyn, New York and began his career as an aircraft armament engineer. On Christmas Eve 1940, John met Jeannette Trescott Gorman and they were married on June 7th, 1942. In 1945, John left Sperry and co-founded his own firm Halm Instrument Company. During his time at Halm, John was credited with 25 patents in automation, including those for a high speed printing press, equipment used to hermetically seal pharmaceutical capsules and a prototype of a heart lung machine whose principles are still in use today. John joined Reeves Instrument Company in 1958 as assistant director of manufacturing. While at Reeves he created the Staten Island fire communications and civil defense system. John semi-retired in 1970 while continuing to work from his home in Brookville, Long Island. During this time he developed automation machinery for private industry. In 1982, John and Jeannette moved to Florida to spend their retirement surrounded by family and friends. He is survived by his daughters and their husbands: Joan and Denis Murphy of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida; Patricia and Jay Froehlich of Wellington, Florida (with whom he lived); Deborah and Michael Conlon of Gainesville, Florida. Also surviving are six grandchildren: Tracy Trescott Murphy of Tallahassee, Florida, Kevin Murphy of Baltimore, Maryland, John Froehlich of Wellington, Florida, Jennifer Conlon, Megan Conlon, and Eric Conlon of Gainesville, Florida. He has one great grandchild, Mira Jeannette Arnold. He is also survived by four sisters and one brother-in-law: Wilma Bernhardt of New Jersey, Elizabeth Thomas of Ohio, Evelyn Potts of Indiana, Janet and Ervil Chrysler of Ohio, and numerous nieces and nephews. A visitation will be held Friday, Oct. 5, 2007 from 6-8 P.M. at the funeral home and a funeral mass on Saturday, Oct. 6, 2007 at 10:30A.M. at St. Rita Catholic Church, Wellington, Fl. PALMS WEST FUNERAL HOME ROYAL PALM BEACH, FL (561-753-6004)