Irving William Cahalan

Irving William Cahalan, beloved husband, father, grandfather, uncle, and friend, passed away on August 23, 2021 at the age of 85. He is survived by his wife, Patricia Ann (Burgess); daughter Jennifer and her husband William Ham, daughter Katherine, and son Irving Michael; sisters Barbara Bierig, Nancy McKiernan and her husband John, and Eileen Reardon and her husband Dennis; grandchildren Connor and Brigit Ham; and many nieces, nephews, and other family. Irving was born on July 5th, 1936, in Providence to Irving Augustine Cahalan and Anna Ursula (Dennigan) Cahalan. He graduated from La Salle Academy in 1954 and the University of Rhode Island in 1958 with a degree in electrical engineering. While at URI, he was chief engineer at the campus radio station (WURI) where he met his wife Pat. They were married in September 1961 and enjoyed 60 years together. After college they moved to Huntington, NY, where he worked at Hazeltine Corp (now part of BAE Systems) on remote monitoring and energy management systems for electric power grids. During his time working at Hazeltine on defense contracts, his focus was on AWACS aircraft systems (Airborne Warning and Control Systems) used by NATO and IFF (Identification, Friend or Foe) systems. He holds several U.S. government patents from his time at Hazeltine. Irv was a man of many talents and interests. He was an avid fisherman who particularly enjoyed fishing with his children and grandchildren. He was a talented woodworker who built many pieces of traditional furniture which are in his and his children’s homes. His other hobbies included sailing, photography, blacksmithing, astronomy, brewing his own beer, and making his own bread. He spent many hours in his workshop and could fix just about anything that needed fixing. He had a broad range of interests and he was always willing to share his wide-ranging knowledge in an easy-to-understand manner. Irv had a talent for making friends and will be greatly missed by all who knew him. He will surely live forever in our thoughts and memories. In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to the St Jude’s Children’s Hospital, 501 St. Jude Pl., Memphis, TN 38105 or the Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra (https://syso.org/support/make-a-gift/) in Irv’s name. Visiting hours: 4pm to 7 pm, Monday, August 30th at the Avery-Storti Funeral Home, 88 Columbia St., Wakefield. A Mass of Christian Burial will be Celebrated at 10 am on Tuesday, August 31st at St. Francis of Assisi Church, 114 High St., Wakefield. Burial will follow in St. Francis Cemetery.