John W. Small, 100, of Bradford passed away Tuesday, Oct. 31 at High Pointe Hospice House in Haverhill.
He was born in Lynn on May 23, 1917, son of the late Maurice D. and Mary (Houle) Small.
Small moved to Haverhill at the age of five, was a graduate of Haverhill High School with the class of 1936 and attended the New England School of Art. He proudly served in the U.S. Army during WWII from 1942-1946 with the 10th Armored Division, receiving the Good Conduct Medal, European African Middle Eastern Theater Campaign Ribbon, American Theater Campaign Ribbon and the Victory Medal.
He was employed as a supervisor at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard for many years until his retirement in 1979. Small was a member of Sacred Hearts Parish in Bradford and the Disabled American Veterans.
He was the oldest living member of Cedardale Health & Fitness and was actively playing tennis until his 85th birthday.
Small was the beloved husband of the late Mary P. (Kennedy) Small, who passed away in 2011. He is survived by son Mark D. Small and his wife Nadine H. of Pelham; daughters Roberta A. Crook of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., Patrice S. and her husband G. Stevens Davis, Jr. of Bradford, and Ellen M. Small Davis of Bradford; 10 grandchildren, Douglas Crook and his wife Alana, Ashleigh and her husband Stefan Sweren, Jonathan Crook and his wife Jacqueline, Spencer Crook, Curtis Davis, J. Westerman Davis, Jr., Harrison Davis, Egan Davis, Ross Davis, and Declan Davis; five great-grandchildren, Olivia, Sophia, Stella, Jaxson and Adaline, as well as several nieces and nephews. He was also the father-in-law of the late David S. Crook and Jefferson W. Davis, and brother of the late Alma Jeanette Small, Loretta Pearson, Alfred Small and Eunice Jermyn.
Relatives and friends are invited to attend his Funeral Mass of Christian Burial on Friday, Nov. 3 at 11 a.m. in Sacred Hearts Church, 165 South Main St. (Rte. 125) Bradford. Burial with Army honor guard will follow in the Elmwood Cemetery, Bradford. At the request of the family, the visitation will be private. Arrangements are by the H.L. Farmer & Sons Funeral Homes, Bradford – Haverhill.
Contributions in his memory may be made to the Tourette Syndrome Association, Inc. 42-40 Bell Blvd., Bayside, N.Y., 11361-2820 or to Sacred Hearts School Endowment Fund, 31 So. Chestnut St. Bradford.