Veterans Day Tribute to Francis Creney

Francis Joseph Creney........................Veterans Day, November 11, 2014

(The Middleboro Gazette editon of November 13,2014, ran an edited version of a tribute to the late Francis J. Creney delivered during the Middeboro Veterans Day ceremony by Bob Lessard, American Legion Post 64 historian and a member of the Middleboro Veterans Council. The ceremony was held at the Middleboro Veterans Memorial Park. Mr. Creney was set to serve as Grand Marshall of this year's parade and ceremony; sadly, he passed away in October, just about a month before the big day. Jon Haglof editor of the Gazette.)

"My name is Bob Lessard and I am the parade marshall and the Historian for the Simeon L.

Nickerson Post 64. Thank you for attending and particpating in the parade and our ceremony.

It is my privilege to represent the Middleboro Veterans Council on this Veterans Day to honor

the memory of our Grand Marshall, retired United States Navy Command Master Chief Petty

Officer Francis Joseph Creney, 77, who passed on Sunday, October 12.

Earlier in October, before he died, Fran had agreed to serve as our Grand Marshall of this Veterans Day parade and ceremony.

Would Fran’s family members, who are here attending this ceremony, please stand and be

recognized…….Thank you. …….. And, thank you for sharing Fran with us….he was one of a kind

and a very important member and leader of our veteran community.

Fran served in the Navy from November 1954 through July 1975 serving for 21 years before

he retired.

In veterans’ circles, Fran was a member, as we learned earlier, one of the organizers of

the Top 3 Retired Military Association.

The Disabled American Veterans saw his active involvement and leadership as he served at

one time as Commander of Chapter 36 in Middleboro and later as Commander of DAV Chapter 57 in

Taunton.

Fran was also a member for over 50 years of the Fleet Reserve Association. He also

was active with Patriot Historical Museum at the closed Naval Air Station in South Weymouth,

where that group honors the memories of 32 Medal of Honor recipients from Plymouth and Norfolk

counties.

Middleboro’s two Medal of Honor recipients, Lt. Patrick J. Regan and Wayne M. Caron are

recognized in the Memorial Park there.

He was an instrumental member of the executive board and trustee of this very Middleboro

Veterans Memorial Park.

Fran took an active part in acting as a liason between Middleboro’s town fathers and the

Middleboro Veterans Memorial Park committee during several very controversial issues during

the past few years.

His leadership prevailed during those trying times.

Paul Provencher, Middleboro’s Veterans agent, in a recent newsletter wrote: “He always

carried himself in the proudest of traditions of the military……. and proved himself to be a

real diplomat…he will be sorely missed among our ranks.”

Fran also served for many years on the executive board of the Middleboro Veterans

council, where hisopinion was recognized as one of authority.

As we participate in today’s ceremony, please let me point out the bell located to

my right. This bell is from the USS Caron, which had been named after our Wayne M. Caron. The

ship was commissioned on October 1, 1977 and after distinguished service to the country it was

decommissioned on October 15, 2001.

The bell was loaned to Middleboro by the United States Navy shortly after the

decommissioning. It can be seen as it is displayed in the office of Middleboro’s veterans

agent on the third floor of the bank

building.

Fran Creney was our unofficial “keeper of the bell.”

He found it is his duty and obligation to make sure the bell was polished and shiney for

occasions such as this ceremony. And, woe to anyone who had the audacity to put his

fingerprint on that polished bell.

Fran’s blistering, salty, Naval language would make it clear that someone had messed

up…..I still have ringing in my ears for goofing up…and the ringing isn’t from the gonging of

the bell!!

To the Creney family…..please accept our heartfelt sympathy on your loss, and, again,

thank you for sharing him with us."