William J. Hannon, Jr.

William J. Hannon

Age 86 of Cohasset, MA, “Bill” Hannon passed away peacefully on April 27, 2021 at South Shore Hospital in Weymouth.  His beloved wife of 61 years, Carol (King) Hannon was by his side always.  Bill was preceded in death by his parents, William J. Hannon, Sr. and Margaret (Moran) Hannon and his sister, Anne “Nancy” Napier, all of Quincy.  Bill is survived by his wife and center-of his-universe, Carol, his daughter Jennifer Kabachus of Cohasset, his son Jeffrey and his wife Deirdre of Quincy and his son Mark and his wife Kimberly of Hanover.  Bill was the loving grandfather of Keegan Hannon, Sydney Hannon, Kieran Hannon, Alexandra Kabachus, Andrew Hannon, Kennedy Hannon, Meredith Kabachus, Madison Kabachus and Aidan Hannon.  He was also the proud great-grandfather of Patrick Hannon.  Bill was the uncle to many nieces and nephews as well as godfather to Dennis Napier.  Bill grew up in Dorchester on Dakota Street.  He attended Boston Technical High School and upon graduation attended Massachusetts College of Art where he graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.  He later earned his Master’s in Education from UMASS Boston.  By profession, Bill was an Industrial Designer.  He absolutely loved his job and thought that Design linked all things in life.  He was credited with designing several pieces of medical equipment, as well as countless logos and corporate identities.  He was the co-founder and president of CDC, Corporate Design Consultants located in Boston.  Later in his career he returned to his beloved Alma Mater, MassArt, first as a professor of design and then later as an administrator serving as VP of External Affairs for the college.  He continued to teach even when moving to administration.  While at MassArt, Bill founded the Design Management Institute, a global non-profit dedicated to connecting, promoting and elevating the role of design in business, culture and society.  It continues to thrive to this day.  Bill was a member of the Industrial Designers Society of America and was also honored with many industry awards and held several patents.  Perhaps his most proud accomplishment was being named a Fellow at the Royal Society of Arts in London, while on a sabbatical in the early 90’s.  He was also a guest lecturer at the University of Cork in Ireland.   Bill was a devoted family man and a friend to many.  He was a voracious reader and loved spirited debate on many topics, but especially history and politics.  He was also a devout Catholic and held a special bond with Glastonbury Abbey in Hingham where he was friends with several priests and brothers.  A  Mass in celebration of his life will be held on Monday, May 3, 2021 10:30 a.m. at St. Anthony Parish, 10 Summer Street in Cohasset.  Visiting hours will be held Sunday, May 2, 2021 4p.m.-8p.m. at McNamara-Sparrell Funeral Home, 1 Summer Street in Cohasset.  In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you make donations to the William Hannon Foundation Scholarship supporting MassArt students with financial need.  (www.massart.edu/giving).

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