James F. Killackey III

James “Jay” F. Killackey III, passed away on Thursday, March 21, 2024, at Charlton Memorial Hospital in Fall River, MA, with his beloved wife Suann by his side. He was 75.

Jay is survived by his wife Suann (Admirand) Killackey, their daughter Jessalyn and her fiancé Curtis Rand of Acushnet, MA, his children Kathleen and her husband Clay Seaver of East Bridgewater, MA, Kristin Wilson and her husband David of Abington, MA, Courtney Bochantin of Okawville, IL, nine grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews.

Jay was the much-loved brother of Marie Killackey, Jean Powers and her late husband Paul, Joanne Hogan and her husband Richard, Janice O’Connor and her husband James and their daughter Siobhan, and nephew Peter Killackey. Jay was predeceased by his sister, Carol, brother Robert, and nephew Jimmy.

Jay shared many happy days with Suann’s family. He was the brother-in-law of Jeanne Flanagan and her husband Charles Kennedy, Maryann Gabryszewski and her late husband Ed, William Admirand and his wife Susan, Helen Kelley and her husband Tom, and the late Linda and her husband Ray Wagner, and Nancy Reynolds.

Jay was born on Tuesday, August 17, 1948. He was the cherished son of James F. Killackey Jr, and Ruth (Tisdale) Killackey. Jay was raised in Cambridge, MA, with the love and support of a large family. He received inspiration and faith from his grandparents and parents. As the oldest boy of seven children, Jay was the person everyone relied upon. He gave his family strength, hope and unconditional love. Jay was blessed with a quick wit, a profound sense of humor, and lived his life with joy and gratitude.

The virtues that mattered most to Jay never wavered – love of his family, faith, and helping others. Jay shared what mattered the most to him, not just in words, but in how he lived his life. You could always count on Jay. His optimism was contagious. He was a man of his word. Jay exemplified integrity. He believed we had more in common than anything that might separate us, and he felt people deserved a second chance. He shared his experiences to help others to give them hope that they had the strength to overcome adversity and achieve their dreams as he did. Jay will be remembered for his honesty, sincerity and how much he cared about people.

He graduated from Cambridge High & Latin in June of 1966. He began his postal career as a part-time flexible clerk in 1966. From 1968 through 1971, Jay proudly served his country as a member of the United States Navy. Jay returned to work at the United States Postal Service and converted to letter carrier to begin attending college at night. Jay was the first member of his family to earn a college degree, graduating from Boston State College with degrees in public administration and business administration.

In 1979, Jay was promoted to supervisor, customer service at the Boston GMF parcel delivery unit. Jay became a general supervisor, assistant tour superintendent, tour superintendent, station manager and manager of distribution operations, all in the Boston area. From 1995 to 2006, Jay managed operations at the IMC North in Chelsea, then the largest motorized postal delivery unit in the country. Jay frequently volunteered his own time to coordinate postal operations for community and charitable endeavors. He served or led several national task forces and was known as a driving force for innovation and creativity throughout his career.

When Jay was initially promoted to supervisor, he immediately joined the National Association of Postal Supervisors (NAPS) and became active in branch 43, Boston. Jay served branch 43 as vice president and president in the 1980’s and 1990’s. Jay also served a term as the NAPS Massachusetts State President. In 1998, Jay was elected to four terms as the New England area vice president of NAPS.

In 2006, Jay was elected to two terms as national secretary treasurer of the National Association of Postal Supervisors. In 2010, he was elected to serve for two terms as executive vice president of the National Association of Postal Supervisors. In 2014, Jay returned to Massachusetts and his family.

After leaving Washington, DC, Jay obtained his health and life insurance sales license and worked for M3 Technologies in Mattawan, NJ. Jay then built a relationship with Dillard Financial Solutions as an agent and provided retirement solutions to NAPS members and Federal employees covering six New England states. Jay also served as a contract EEO investigator for the National EEO Investigative service Office of the United States Postal Service from 2014 to 2018.

Jay’s representation of NAPS members throughout his NAPS career brought him to be hired by the NAPS Disciplinary Defense Fund provider, Labor Relations Admin Group, LLC. Jay was an accomplished advocate and an expert in representation of NAPS members in Merit Systems Protection Board of appeals and ELM 50 appeals.

In the past year, Jay achieved the dream of a lifetime with his wife Suann, and their youngest daughter Jessalyn; they moved to a farmhouse in Acushnet, MA. He took on the role of farm keeper, where he took care of his flock of chickens and helped care of his daughters’ horses, goats, and family dogs. He told everyone this was his dream. He loved to invite everyone over to the “Killackey Farm” to meet all the animals and have a cookout.

Jay recently received an honor that was especially meaningful to him. Boston NAPS branch 43 named its branch “The Jay Killackey-John Russell Branch 43” to honor him for his dedication. Jay had been a member of branch 43 since 1979 and enjoyed mentoring past, current and future generations of NAPS Branch 43 board members and NAPS members throughout the organization.

Visiting hours for Jay will be held on Monday, April 1, 2024, from 4:00 – 8:00PM, at the Dahlborg-MacNevin Funeral Home 280 Bedford Street Lakeville, MA 02347. A Funeral Mass of Christina Burial will be held on Tuesday April 2, 2024, at 10:00AM, at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church 125 Main Street, Acushnet, MA 02743. Jay will be laid to rest in Acushnet Cemetery immediately following the funeral mass. In lieu of flowers please consider a memorial donation in Jay’s name to the American Heart Association by visiting their website at www.heart.org, or the American Kidney Fund by visiting their website at www.kidneyfund.org.

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