The Honorable Paul P. Heffernan, a retired judge whose career in public service began as a parole officer and was built on juvenile law, died peacefully on October 21, 2026. He lived in West Roxbury, formerly Milton.
He was born in Lynn and grew up in South Boston. He graduated from St. John’s Preparatory School in Danvers and from Boston College, after pausing his studies to enlist in the Army during the Korean conflict. He earned a master’s in education at Boston State College and a law degree at Suffolk University while he and his wife, Angela (Hennessey) Heffernan, raised six children. His first public job, with the Youth Service Board, set the course; on the bench he was known for his grasp of juvenile law, his judgment about young people in trouble, and his patience. His standing instruction to his children and grandchildren was to “make a new friend every day.”
His wife died before him, as did his brothers, the Rev. John F. Heffernan, O.M.I., and Richard J. Heffernan. He leaves his children, the Honorable Mary Elizabeth Heffernan of West Roxbury, Paul P. Heffernan Jr. of Longmeadow, David J. Heffernan and his wife Francesca of Manhattan, Angela Rose Toussaint and her husband Jeffrey of Dedham, Janet Mondani of Danville, Calif., and John F. Heffernan and his wife Sheila of Marblehead; 13 grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews. The family thanks his caregivers, especially Paul Kwasi.
Visiting hours are Wednesday, October 28 from 4 to 8 p.m. at St. Theresa of Avila Church, 2078 Centre Street, West Roxbury. The funeral leaves the William J. Gormley Funeral Home, 2055 Centre Street, Thursday, October 29 at 9 a.m. for a 10 a.m. Mass at St. Theresa’s, with burial at St. Joseph Cemetery, West Roxbury. The family suggests gifts to St. John’s Prep, 72 Spring Street, Danvers, or to the Boston Public Library Fund in honor of Paul and Angela Heffernan.
Compiled from information published by West Roxbury, MA. Photograph courtesy of the family via West Roxbury, MA. This is our own summary, not the family’s obituary; read the full obituary and leave a condolence at the funeral home’s page on Legacy.com. Corrections: we will fix any error promptly.
