George A. Darcy

Waltham – Mr. George A. Darcy, Jr., of Waltham, died Tuesday, May 25, 2010 in The Neville Center at Fresh Pond in Cambridge. He was 83.

George was born in Boston on September 10, 1926, a son of the late George A. and Mary J. (McManus) Darcy. He was raised in Dorchester and graduated from Boston Latin High School. He had been a Waltham resident since 1957.

A 1948 graduate of Harvard University in Cambridge, George earned degrees in physics and in engineering. He worked for many years as the director of the U.S. Army’s Non-Destructive Testing Laboratory located at the Watertown Arsenal. After that he became a consultant with AAVCO which later became the Textron Corporation.

George and his family were longtime parishioners at Our Lady’s Church in Waltham where he served as a Eucharistic minister. He and his wife also ran the parish ‘Turkey-Rama’ for more that fifteen years, one of the most successful parish fund raising activities. George was also a former member of the Rotary Club in Waltham and the Pickard China Club, serving both organizations as secretary.

He will be best remembered however as being kind, patient, brilliant and helpful. George and his family loved to travel the country and the world, he learned Gaelic from his father’s side of the family and French from his mom’s. He took an interest in gardening, grilling and developing a lifelong love of learning in his children.

He leaves his wife of 55 years, Janet M. (Gould) Darcy; his daughter, Katherine J. Hickson and her husband, Joseph M. Hickson, Jr., of Hampden and Waltham City Councilor George A. Darcy, III of Waltham; his grandchildren, Joseph Hickson, III and his wife, Maana, Jennifer Sackrider and her husband, Peter, and Veronika and Aleksandr Hickson; his great-grandchildren, Ayden and Madelyn Mae Sackrider; his sister, Virginia M. Downey of Cambridge and many nieces and nephews.

George was also the brother of the late Anne Patriarca.

Family and friends will honor and remember George’s life by gathering for calling hours in The Joyce Funeral Home, 245 Main Street (Rte. 20), Waltham on Friday from 4 to 8 p.m. and again at 10 a.m. on Saturday morning before leaving in procession to Our Lady Comforter of the Afflicted Church, 880 Trapelo Road, Waltham where his Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Burial will follow in Cambridge Cemetery.

Memorial donations may be made to the Waltham Land Trust, P.O. Box 541120, Waltham, MA 02454-1120.