Patrick Joseph Griffin

It is with heavy hearts that we announce the sudden and untimely passing of Patrick J. “PJ” Griffin, age 55, of Pembroke, Massachusetts, formerly of Quincy, Massachusetts, and Clynagh, Carraroe, County Galway, Ireland.

PJ lived a life full of family, friends, boats, laughter, stories...and then usually a few more stories.

Born and raised in Clynagh, Carraroe, PJ was immensely proud of where he came from. His first language was Irish (Gaelic) and he didn't learn English until he went to school. He loved Ireland deeply, and after immigrating to Boston in 1999, he fell in love with America too. He carried both places with him throughout his life and was happiest when surrounded by the people, traditions, stories, and unmistakable sense of humor that connected the two.

It was in Galway that PJ met Mary Conroy, the woman who would become his wife, soulmate, and partner in life for 28 years. Together, they moved to Boston and built a beautiful life centered around the four people PJ considered his greatest accomplishments: Dara, 26, Maeve, 23, Kathleen, 18, and Patrick, 17.

PJ loved being a father. Whether he was standing on the sidelines of a sporting event, sitting through a dance recital, helping with a move, driving someone somewhere they absolutely had to be, or simply showing up, PJ made sure his children always knew their dad was there. Usually, everyone else knew it too, thanks to his unmistakable whistle from the stands.

PJ and Mary became experts at the art of “divide and conquer,” managing four children, countless practices, games, dance recitals, school events, college move-ins, and everything in between. Their life was busy, sometimes chaotic, and exactly the life PJ wanted. He loved every minute of it.

If you knew PJ, chances are you loved him, or at the very least, you were charmed by him eventually. He was a man who rarely met a person he didn’t like. And if, for some reason, you didn’t like him, PJ would simply consider that a challenge. A joke, a story, a bit of teasing, and another story usually took care of it.

PJ was never short of a joke and was always up for the craic. He loved telling stories almost as much as he loved telling people about his many “world champion” accolades, the exact number and nature of which may forever remain subject to debate.

His family knew this side of him best. PJ cherished his long chats with his brother Martin, conversations that could stretch on as long as there was something or nothing to discuss. He adored his sisters, Bridie and Anne Marie, although he often expressed that affection in the Griffin family tradition: by 'pulling the piss'. PJ loved his siblings, aunts, uncles and cousins deeply, and the bonds they shared remained an important part of his life no matter how many miles separated them.

Professionally, PJ was a hardworking entrepreneur who owned his own general contracting company before finding a way to turn one of his greatest passions into a new side hustle as a yacht broker. In the past, he was a member of the Coast Guard Auxiliary and the Somerville Auxiliary, but anyone who truly knew PJ knew that one membership occupied a particularly special place in his heart: the Metropolitan Yacht Club in Braintree. The Met was more than a yacht club to PJ. It was his place. There, PJ served as co-chair of Dock and Float, a title he undoubtedly took very seriously. He loved the boats, the water, the work, and, most importantly, the friendships. He loved spending time with his buddies, solving problems, talking about boats, talking about life, and occasionally just talking. If PJ disappeared for a while, there was a very good chance he could be found somewhere near a dock, a boat, or a group of friends discussing something that apparently required at least another hour of conversation and a few brews.

PJ loved boating and being on the water, but what he really loved was sharing those things with people. Whether PJ and Mary were crossing an ocean, sitting on the beach in Panama City, visiting family in Galway, or simply enjoying time together, PJ and Mary genuinely loved one another and enjoyed each other's company and the life they had created.

To say PJ lived a rich life would be an understatement. His riches were never measured by what he owned, but by the people surrounding him. His children were his golden treasures. Mary was his partner through all of it. His siblings, extended family, friends, boating buddies, and the many people he collected along the way filled his life with the kind of wealth that truly mattered.

PJ worked hard, loved deeply, laughed often, told a great story, and occasionally told the same great story more than once. He showed up for the people he loved. He was immensely proud of his family, his Irish roots, and the life he and Mary built together in America.

PJ leaves behind his beloved wife and soulmate, Mary Conroy; his children, Dara, Maeve, Kathleen, and Patrick; his brother, Martin Griffin and sister-in-law Ann of Rosmuc, Co. Galway; his sister, Bridie Conneely and brother-in-law Johnny of Lettermullen, Co. Galway; his sister, Anne Marie O’Connor and brother-in-law Dan of Templenoe, Co. Kerry; his mother-in-law, Patricia Conroy of New Fairfield, CT; his father-in-law, Thomas Conroy of St Mary's, GA; his brother-in-law, TJ Conroy and sister-in-law Stacey of New Fairfield, CT; his sister-in-law, Tricia Conroy of Brewster, NY; and many beloved nieces, nephews, relatives, and friends on both sides of the Atlantic. He was predeceased by his parents, Nan and Paraic Griffin.

PJ leaves behind countless stories, lifelong friendships, memories made from Galway to Boston and everywhere in between, and, quite possibly, a few unfinished projects he was definitely going to get to.

But most of all, he leaves behind a family who never had to wonder how much he loved them.

Visitation will be held at Sullivan Funeral Homes, 551 Washington Street (Route 53), Hanover, MA on Sunday, August 30, 2026, from 2:00 pm to 6:00 pm. A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at Holy Family Church, 601 Tremont St., Duxbury, MA on Monday, August 31, 2026, at 10:00 am.

In lieu of flowers, please say a prayer and lift pint for PJ.