Obituary of John L. "Jack" Birmingham

John L. Jack Birmingham, Jr., 70, of Peabody and Naples, Florida, died on Wednesday, April 6, 2005 while surrounded by his family in Naples. He was the beloved and devoted husband of Eleanore V. (Cecelski) Birmingham with whom he shared 45 years of marriage and the best of times. Born in Peabody, he was the son of the late John L. Birmingham, Sr., and Helen M. (Pothier) Birmingham. He was a lifelong resident of the city and graduated from St. John’ s Preparatory School in Danvers. He was a graduate of St. John’ s Seminary in Brighton and earned his Master’ s degree in education from Salem State College. He was a communicant of St. John the Baptist Parish in Peabody. In addition to numerous educational organizations, he was also a member of the Ancient Order of Hibernians Division 11 and West Beach Corporation of Beverly Farms. He also sat on the Board of Directors of the Peabody Municipal Federal Credit Union. Until his retirement in 1997, Jack was a devoted teacher and principal in the City of Peabody for 41 years. He touched the lives of many students at the Samuel Brown School, the Farnsworth School and the South Memorial School. He was a mentor to many students and a dedicated coach of baseball, football and basketball at Bishop Fenwick High School during his early years of teaching. He was a Trustee of the Peabody Institute Library and helped with the new wing addition. He was an inspiration to all and will be remembered for his sharp wit, wisdom and gentleness. His greatest loves were reading, tennis, spending time at the beach both at home and in Florida, and most of all being with his loving family, including two sons, Sean M. Birmingham and his wife, Kimberly, of Danvers; and Brian A. Birmingham and his wife, Terri, of Peabody; one brother, William J. Birmingham of Peabody; two sisters, Helen M. Sellers of Andover and Mary Morris of Eustis, Maine. His most treasured days were spent being the best grandfather ( Dziadek ) with his grandchildren, Conor and Reilly Birmingham of Peabody and Molly and Megan Birmingham of Danvers whom he adored. Many cousins, nieces and nephews also survive him. His Memorial Mass will be celebrated on Saturday, May 21, 2005 at 11:00 a.m. in St. John the Baptist Church, 16 Church St., Peabody. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Jack Birmingham Scholarship Fund, C/O any Bank of America in your area.