Luke A. Dillon III, of Dorchester Lower Mills and Brewster, Massachusetts passed away on January 22, 2026. He was 73 years old. He is survived by his wife Karen Barhoff Dillon and his son Christopher James Dillon. He leaves a brother, Daniel F. Dillon and his wife Mary, sister Jo-Anne (Dillon) Gretemeyer and her husband Gregory, Brother-in-law Jeff Barhoff and his wife Julie, Sister-in-law Jane Barhoff Ypsilantis and her husband Mark as well as several loving nieces and nephews.
Luke was born in 1953 in Worcester, Massachusetts, the son of Luke A. Dillon, Jr. and Gertrude Dillon.
He graduated from St John’s of Shrewsbury, Union College with a Bachelor of Arts degree and Suffolk University Law School with a law degree, becoming a member of the Massachusetts Bar in 1977.
After passing the bar examination, Luke began a five-decade career in financial services in Massachusetts, joining the Massachusetts Legislature’s Joint Committee on Insurance as staff counsel. It was there that he worked on significant reforms of the Massachusetts life, health, automobile and property and casualty insurance systems.
Over the next several decades, Luke engaged in the private practice of law, representing insurers on regulatory and legislative matters and served as General Counsel of the state life insurance association culminating in his appointment as President & CEO of the Life Insurance Association of Massachusetts in 2010. He ably led the association until his retirement in 2023. Throughout his professional career, Luke’s affable personality and even temperament allowed him to bring competing interests to the table and seek consensus on important legal and public policy issues.
Luke was an avid sports fan and followed sports teams of all kinds at all levels. As a long-time resident of Hanover, Massachusetts, he coached in-town and travel baseball and basketball teams for many years. Known for his fairness and equal playing time for players, he coached three teams to league championships. He was a long-time season ticket holder of the Boston Red Sox. Nothing pleased him more than to attend a Red Sox game with his wife Karen and son Chris as well as his many friends and colleagues. He also attended the first Super Bowl that the New England Patriots won in 2002.
In 2024, after serving on its board of directors since 2016, Luke was named President of the Brewster Whitecaps of the historic Cape Cod Baseball League where he worked tirelessly on all aspects of baseball operations to make the team a success.
Luke was involved in several charitable causes, including the Cardinal Cushing Center in Hanover. When he learned some of the residents and staff at the Center were not able to go home for Christmas, he organized an annual Christmas party for them that he and several Hanover families hosted for twenty-four years.
An avid Bruce Springsteen fan, he attended over two dozen Springsteen concerts including Springsteen on Broadway.
Luke Dillon led a fulfilling life guided by his faith, the love of his family and his many friends and colleagues.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Saint John’s of Shrewsbury, The Brewster Whitecaps or The American Cancer Society.
Visiting hours will be held at Doane Beal & Ames Funeral Home, located at 729 Route 134, South Dennis, Massachusetts, 02660, on January 29, 2026, from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm.
A Mass of Christian Burial will take place at Our Lady of the Cape Catholic Church-Brewster, 468 Stony Brook Rd., Brewster, MA, 02631, on January 30, 2026, at 11:00 am.
Interment will follow at Brewster Lower Road Cemetery, Brewster, MA, 02631, on January 30, 2026, at 12:30 pm.
