Waltham civil leader Joseph Burgoyne III passed away suddenly at the age of 62 on Feb. 16, according to a Feb. 21 Boston Globe article. The third-generation Waltham businessman was laid to rest at Grove Hill Cemetery in Waltham on Thursday, Feb. 22. 

Hundreds of Burgoyne’s admirers lined the streets Tuesday and Wednesday to pay their last respects as businesses in the Waltham area erected tributes to Burgoyne, according to the Waltham Patch. Waltham Police told the public to expect detours and heavy traffic for the Burgoyne funeral procession on Thursday, while a Patch news photo shows several police officers in uniform saluting the beloved Waltham native in front of the Waltham Police station, with a flag at half-staff in the background. 

Waltham Mayor Jeannette McCarthy spoke highly of Burgoyne in an email to the Justice. “He was a very quiet benefactor for hundreds of causes and never once wanted any credit or publicity. He was a hometown guy who did really well and always gave back,” she said. 

Burgoyne owned the Waltham-based Ideal Concrete Block Co. with his brothers. He began working for the family business at the age of 12, according to his obituary. He was a graduate of Waltham High School and a benefactor of many community organizations, including the Waltham West Suburban Chamber of Commerce, the Waltham Boys & Girls Club, the Waltham Lions Club, the Waltham Lodge of Elks, North Waltham Little League, Waltham High School Gridiron, the Girl’s Lacrosse Booster clubs and Bentley University’s Parents Executive Committee. Burgoyne won the Waltham Chamber of Commerce Community Achievement award in 2017 in recognition of his work.

Burgoyne is remembered by his admirers as a warm, affable man who held immense love for his family and his city. “He loved Waltham. He loved the people of Waltham. He couldn’t have been more proud to be born, raised, run a business, and raise a family in Waltham,” his son Christopher told the Waltham News Tribune in a Feb. 22 article. 

Burgoyne is survived by Patricia A. (Walsh) Burgoyne, his wife of 40 years, as well as his daughters, Erin M. Donovan and Molly Rose Burgoyne, and his sons, Joseph L. Burgoyne IV and Christopher P. Burgoyne, along with his grandchildren Marie, Tommy, Annie, Maggie and Griffin, according to his obituary. 

His son, Joseph Burgoyne IV, told the News Tribune that Burgoyne warmly opened his home to one and all. 

“We went to Bentley University and anyone from out of state knew they had a home away from home,” he said. “It put other parents at ease.” 

Christopher Burgoyne, meanwhile, commented on his late father’s generosity. “The word ‘no’ was not in my dad’s vocabulary,” he said. “It was always, ‘How can I help you?’”

 

—Chaiel Schaffel