Walter J. Sweeney, Jr.

Walter J. Sweeney, of Westwood passed away on Wednesday August 3, 2022 at age 77, surrounded by his loving family. He was the beloved husband of Chantal (Beal) Sweeney, with whom he would have celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary in September.

He will be forever missed and always loved by his children, Stephanie Sweeney of Braintree, and Alexandra O’Donnell and her husband David of Dedham; his beloved grandchildren, Lucie and Owen; his brother James Sweeney, his wife Mary, and their children James Sweeney and Kathryn Staffiere of Norwood; his cousin/“sister” Mary Morris and her husband Paul, of Franklin; his brothers-in-law Jean-Jacques and Christophe Beal and their families in France; and his best friend of 60 years Michael Carr, of South Thomaston, ME.

Born in Boston, he was the son of the late Walter J. and Lorraine (McKenna) Sweeney. Walter grew up in Norwood. He was a 1963 graduate of Catholic Memorial High School in West Roxbury and went on to graduate from Boston College in 1967. Walter was a proud U.S. Army veteran of the Vietnam War and worked as a U.S. Customs Inspector for over 37 years with postings in Toronto, Los Angeles and Boston.

Walter was an avid traveler. He met his wife Chantal in Paris in 1977 and their courtship continued in Ireland, a country he loved. He instilled his love of travel in his daughters and brought them on many trips in Europe. He had a passion for arts and culture, particularly old Hollywood and Broadway. Walter loved to entertain. He was a master storyteller whose quick wit and clever comebacks made him the life of any party.

Relatives and friends are kindly invited to attend the visiting hours in the Gillooly Funeral Home, 126 Walpole Street (Rt. 1A), Norwood, MA on Wednesday, August 10th from 4-7 PM. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated in St. Denis Church, 157 Washington Street, Westwood on Thursday, August 11th at 10am. Private burial at the Massachusetts National Cemetery will take place at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association: http://act.alz.org/goto/walterjsweeney