Alfred J. Dion
Weymouth-Alfred J. Dion, beloved husband of the late Catherine M. (Coneys) Dion, peacefully left this world on October 23, 2018. He is survived by his five children: Kathryn Dion and her husband David Kennedy, Mary Mansfield, Adrienne Dion and her husband John Ketchum, Peter Dion and his wife Megan, Margaret “Meg” McIsaac and her husband Scott; a brother, Philip F Dion; eleven grandchildren, Andrew Kennedy and his wife, Angela, James Kennedy, Elizabeth Buchanan, and her husband Eric, Emily Mansfield, Alexandra Dion, Conley Dion, Audrey Ketchum, Michael Ketchum, Vivian McIsaac, Grace McIsaac, and Katherine McIsaac; and one great-grandchild, Scotland Buchanan. He was predeceased by his parents, Henri and Ethel Dion two sisters, Anne D. Blake and Elizabeth Dubsky, a brother who died in infancy, and a son-in-law, J. Michael Mansfield.
Born in 1925 to Alfred grew up in Hyde Park and attended Boston Trade High School where he excelled at mechanical drawing. He never graduated, having enlisted in the US Army when he turned 18. He served with the US Army 84th Infantry Division during WWII as a machine gunner in a heavy weapons platoon. Wounded twice, he was awarded the Purple Heart, and for his actions in combat in the Rhineland and Ardennes-Alsace (the Battle of the Bulge) campaigns he was awarded the Bronze Star Medal. At the end of the war, he remained in Europe using his drafting skills to help lay out military cemeteries in France and Belgium. Transitioning to civilian life in 1946, he remained in the US Army Reserve and served with the 94th Division and as a Special Agent with the Criminal Investigation Command at Fort Devens, retiring as a Chief Warrant Officer in 1987. Like most returning servicemen, he took advantage of the educational opportunities afforded by the GI Bill and received a B.A. in Business Administration from Northeastern University.
In the 1950s, he worked for several engineering firms, eventually being employed by the US Navy for infrastructure projects at the Boston Naval Shipyard. In 1964 he was promoted to the staff of the Commandant, 1st Naval District for logistics and special projects. When the US Navy left Boston in 1974, he then moved to the Defense Logistics Agency. There he headed a small group of analysts who worked on mobilization plans and theoretical logistical problems that had been created by strategic planners at the Pentagon. Once asked about his job, with his typical understated humor Al replied, “I’m a ghost writer for a bunch of ghosts.” He retired from the Defense Department in 1987 and spent more time with his family at their cottage in Bridgewater, New Hampshire.
Alfred lived much of his adult life in Weymouth and was involved in activities at Sacred Heart church. Locally, he was an early member and Chairman of the Weymouth Conservation Commission. Nationally, he was a long-time member of the Military Order of the Purple Heart and the US Army 84th Infantry Association. For the last 16 years, Al lived with his daughter Meg McIsaac in Hingham. The McIsaac family would like to thank their many friends and neighbors who welcomed Al into their lives. Finally, the entire family would like to thank the many wonderful healthcare providers who worked compassionately with Alfred in the past two years, especially Tom Kent, with whom he had a special bond. Funeral from the Clancy-Lucid Funeral Home, 100 Washington St. Weymouth on Saturday, October 27 at 9:30 am. Visiting hours on Friday from 5 until 8 pm. Funeral Mass in the Sacred Heart Church, Weymouth at 10:30 am. Relatives and friends are respectfully invited. Burial in Blue Hill Cemetery, Braintree.