Obituary of John Boland
Judge John D. Boland of Pomfret, CT passed away peacefully at home on October 10, 2025 at age 77. John was born on June 8, 1948 in Carbondale, PA to Floran and Stella Boland. In 1955, the family moved to Stamford, CT. Later, John would make his home in Pomfret, CT for over 48 years.
He leaves behind his beloved wife of 53 years, Susan Preston Boland, and their three children: Daniel Boland (Meeok Kim) of Cambridge, MA, Vanessa Boland Edouard (Arps) of Quincy, MA and S. Micaela Maines (Matthew) of Woodstock, CT. He also leaves behind his five grandchildren: Evelyn, Theodore, Russell, Simon, and Juliette. He is survived by his brother Floran Boland (the late Virginia) of West Hartford, CT, and sister Maureen Cooper (Johann) of Willington, CT.
John was born into a devout Catholic family and found the church so irresistible that he spent four years studying for the priesthood in minor seminary and at Fairfield University. However, at age 20, after becoming active in anti-war movements and political campaigning for Bobby Kennedy, he decided to leave college and that path behind to serve as a Peace Corps Volunteer in a tuberculosis control program in Bolivia. When he returned, he enrolled at UCONN, where on the first day of classes, he met Susan. They were both 22, and have been inseparable ever since.
John went on to complete a BA and MA in literature at UCONN, then a Juris Doctor at Georgetown University. After graduating, he launched a twenty-seven year career as a lawyer in general practice in Northeast CT, largely at the partnership of Boland, St. Onge, and Brouillard. He practiced many forms of law, and was proud of his ability to resolve cases through mediation. He was the town attorney for Pomfret, Chaplin, Ashford, Brooklyn, and Canterbury.
A deep commitment to strengthening our civil society led him to serve on the Pomfret Board of Education (8 years), the town’s Board of Finance (14 years, Chairman for 8 years). He was a long-term member of the Democratic Town Committee. He also served on the boards of United Services (8 years, President for 3 years), Natchaug Hospital (8 years) and on the Ethics Committees at Day Kimball Hospital (17 years). One of his proudest accomplishments was being one of the founders and the first president of the Quinebaug-Shetucket Heritage Corridor Corporation (now The Last Green Valley, Inc.), which protects the cultural, historical, and natural heritage of over 700,000 acres across 35 towns in Northeast CT and Southeastern MA. Despite all of these endeavors, John still made time to have dinner with the family every night.
In 2004, his civil service took a new form, as a judge of the Connecticut Superior Court where he served multiple terms in family, criminal, juvenile, and civil divisions. His judicial assignments included service as the presiding judge of the New London Judicial District Family Division and as presiding judge of the Windham Judicial District Juvenile Division. He served honorably until his retirement in 2020.
He was passionate about the arts, literature, and many forms of music, particularly opera. He read broadly and voraciously; he would adamantly tout Moby Dick as the best novel ever written. He loved to travel, and vacations were packed with museums and exploration. He spoke Spanish, Portuguese, Italian and French, and studied a half dozen other languages just for the fun of it. He loved sitting around discussing ideas and politics with friends until the late hours of the evening.
Calling hours will be held on Saturday, October 18 from 3-6pm at Smith and Walker Funeral Home, 148 Grove Street, Putnam, followed by a private burial. A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory can be made to UNICEF, Last Green Valley, or Day Kimball Hospital. Share a memory at Smithandwalkerfh.com