Obituary of Edward J. Dullea, Jr.

Edward J. Dullea, Jr., 84 PEABODY – Edward James Dullea, Jr., beloved husband of the late Marie (Splaine) Dullea, and a devoted father, grandfather and great-grandfather, passed away peacefully Friday at Beverly Hospital surrounded by his family. Ed was born to the late Edward James, Sr., and Elizabeth (Walsh) Dullea on October 13, 1931, in Peabody. A lifelong Peabody resident, Ed graduated from Peabody High School before serving in the United States Air Force, from 1951 to 1954, during the Korean War. He was honorably discharged from his post at Ethan Allen Air Force Base in Vermont. Following his departure from the Air Force, Ed set off on a lifelong series of adventures. He married the love of his life, Marie, and together they raised seven children - with one bathroom. He earned a B.S. in Finance from Boston University. He owned several businesses, including a roadside food shack in Burlington, Vt., during his time in the Air Force; Moe's Skellar restaurant in Peabody; Bonnelli's Liquors in North Andover; and several rental properties in Peabody. Later in life, he was a sheet metal fabricator for General Electric. Among his greatest interests were local and state politics. He served the city of Peabody as an elected official for 10 years: eight as a member of the school committee and two as a councilor-at-large. In his later years, he established himself as a mentor for city and state politicians and a delegate at the Commonwealth's Democratic Convention. Local democratic candidates would frequent Ed's house for meetings to discuss campaign strategy. He was named Democrat of the Year by Peabody's Democratic City Committee and Irishman of the Year by the City of Peabody. Ed loved to sing, regardless of whether he knew a song's lyrics. He loved to follow the stock market. Perhaps more than anything, he loved to eat, particularly Treadwell's ice cream. Above all else for Ed, however, was his family. He was at his happiest when seated at the head of the table at holidays or in his easy chair surrounded by his large Irish family. In addition to his late wife, Ed is survived by his seven children: Kathleen Walsh and her husband, Thomas, of Beverly; Edward J. Dullea, III, and his wife, Gayle, of Peabody; Eileen Annese and her husband, Carl Jr., of Peabody; Michael Dullea and his wife Barbara, of Peabody; Anne Marie Burns and her husband, Scott, of Peabody; Maureen McCarthy and her husband, Stephen, of Beverly; and Suzanne Tibbetts and her husband, Jeffrey, of Danvers. Ed is also survived by a sister, M. Shirley Cornell, of Beverly; 14 grandchildren: Edward J. Dullea, IV, Matthew Burns, Thomas Burns, Carl Annese III and Cori Bush of Peabody; Conor Walsh, Timothy McCarthy and Kylie McCarthy of Beverly; Jeffrey, Adam, Jason, and Abigail Tibbetts of Danvers; Sgt. Christopher Dullea, USMC, of Havelock N.C.; Amanda Rosenhauer and her husband, Jack, of Grand Rapids, Mich.; and one great-grandson, Kai Rosenhauer, of Grand Rapids, MI. Relatives and friends are kindly invited to visiting hours on Tuesday, April 12,from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Conway, Cahill-Brodeur Funeral Home, 82 Lynn St., Peabody. All are invited to a Funeral Mass Wednesday April 13, 2016 at 11 AM at St. Thomas the Apostle Church, 1 Margin St., Peabody. Burial in St. Mary’s Cemetery, Salem. In lieu of flowers, Ed's family kindly asks that contributions be made in Ed's memory to the Peabody Institute Library Foundation, Main St., Peabody, MA 01960.