Esteemed Fitchburg judge, respected community member passes away

FITCHBURG — The greater community is remembering a man who left an indelible mark on many during his lifetime.

Retired Massachusetts Appeals Court Justice André ‘Andy’ A. Gelinas Sr. passed away peacefully on Oct. 30 at the age of 88 surrounded by his loving family. According to his obituary the city native lived a rich and full life and leaves behind a legacy of integrity, care, commitment, and service to his family and his community.

Gelinas Sr. was born on Sept. 11, 1938, in Fitchburg, the son of A. André and Lina Gelinas and the oldest of four boys. He is survived by his beloved wife of 55 years Rénalde ‘Ronnie’ Gelinas, and their five children — Todd, Mark, Michele, André Jr., and Nicole — along with their children’s partners, nine grandchildren, and other loved ones and friends.

The honorable judge had deep ties to the city. He graduated from St. Bernard’s High School and in 2009, the Fitchburg District Courthouse was renamed the Gelinas Courthouse by an act of the Massachusetts Legislature. Gelinas Sr.’s obituary shared that he was especially humbled and proud that this great honor was bestowed jointly on himself and his late father, who had served as a special justice of the Fitchburg District Court in the 1930s and as District Attorney for Worcester County from 1952 to 1958, in recognition of their extraordinary service to Massachusetts judiciary and bar.

“One of the most meaningful parts of the past week has been hearing from our father’s distinguished colleagues on the Massachusetts Appeals Court, as well as those who worked alongside him during his years in Fitchburg,” his children recently said. “Hearing their stories and learning about the impact he had on others, both personally and professionally, has been incredibly touching.”

Gelinas Sr. earned a BA in 1960 from Assumption College, now Assumption University, in Worcester, attended L’Institut Catholique de Paris in Paris, France, and earned his Juris Doctor in 1963 from the University of Michigan Law School in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He maintained close ties to his undergraduate alma mater, which his father and daughter Michele also attended, and was a founding member and chair of the school’s academic research center dedicated to preserving and studying the French heritage of North America, Council of the French Institute.

Gelinas Sr. was the recipient of the Assumption College Alumni Association’s Distinguished Achievement Award, the Council of the French Institute’s Award of Merit, and in 1983, Assumption awarded him an honorary Doctor of Laws.

Following graduation from law school, he made the decision to forego the option of a career in ‘big law’ and returned to Fitchburg to join his father at the firm of Gelinas & Ward, where he practiced law until 1979. While there, Gelinas Sr. founded Guaranty Title and Abstract Co., Inc. and served as a special assistant attorney general in the Eminent Domain Division under then-Massachusetts Attorney General Eliot Richardson.

His obituary stated that Gelinas Sr.’s commitment to serving the legal profession and the public good and belief in the fair administration of justice ran strong and deep throughout his career. Initially appointed to the Fitchburg District Court as a Special Justice by Governor Francis Sargent in 1973, he served there until 1999, variously as a justice, presiding justice, appellate division associate justice, and regional administrative justice in Fitchburg.

“What has meant the most to our family is hearing about his kindness, almost to a fault, some have said,” his children said. “It wasn’t simply his knowledge of the law or his wisdom on the bench that people remembered, but the way he treated others — with compassion, humility, fairness, and genuine respect. He possessed a remarkable sense of equanimity, a quiet grace under pressure, and an unwavering commitment to doing what was right.

“That was the same man we knew as Dad,” they continued. “He was thoughtful, patient, and always willing to listen. He made us feel that our thoughts mattered and that we deserved to be heard. He was our constant, always there to answer a call, welcome a visit, or offer a little wisdom. No matter how often he saw us, his face lit up when we walked through the door.”

Gelinas Sr. was well respected and had an illustrious career. He was appointed to the Massachusetts Appeals Court by Governor Paul Cellucci in 1999, where he served until his mandatory retirement from the bench in 2008 at the age of 70. Following that, he continued to work for the Massachusetts courts judicial information services department, coordinating the implementation of its electronic filing project.

Gelinas Sr. served on numerous public service boards and committees during his life. The list of those is too long to name them all but it should be noted that he was a member of the Governor’s Commission on the Legal and Civil Rights of the Developmentally Disabled and as a longtime member of the Massachusetts Bar Association, where he served as chair of the Judicial Administration Section.

Gelinas Sr.’s extraordinary contributions to the bench, bar, and wider public earned him many awards and accolades, including the St. Thomas More ‘Red Mass’ Distinguished Jurist Award from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Worcester. Outside of his legal career, he served on the board of numerous philanthropic institutions including as a trustee of the former Burbank Hospital in Fitchburg from 1972 to 1998, and chair at the time of the merger of Burbank Hospital with Leominster Hospital, resulting in the HealthAlliance Health Care System.

Gelinas Sr. then served as chair of the HealthAlliance board of trustees at the time of its merger with Worcester’s UMass-Memorial Healthcare system, which achieved, among other benefits, the Simonds-Sinon Cancer Center on the HealthAlliance Burbank Campus in Fitchburg. In addition, he served as a trustee of the Fitchburg Art Museum from 1967 to 2001 and again from 2007 to 2009 and during his tenure there, he was on numerous committees and twice appointed as president of the museum.

He believed strongly in the value of quality education, which was reflected in his dedication to numerous educational institutions and causes. Gelinas Sr. was a member and chair of St. Bernard’s High School advisory board and a member and chair of the Julie Country Day School Board of Directors. He and his wife Rénalde, a longtime teacher and director of development at the now closed Julie Country Day School in Leominster, were awarded the Worcester Diocese’s Seton Award.

Gelinas Sr. chaired the Fitchburg Mayor’s Committee on School Building Needs, resulting in the recommendation to build the Fitchburg High School campus in the northern section of the city. He served as a Fitchburg State College President’s Circle member and as an incorporator, trustee, and officer of Fitchburg’s Applewild School and for twenty-five years as a trustee of Cushing Academy in Ashburnham Massachusetts, where he gave the graduation address twice.

Gelinas Sr. was a founding trustee and officer of the George R. Wallace Jr. Civic Center on John Fitch Highway in Fitchburg and served as a director of the Fitchburg chapter of the American Red Cross, on the Fitchburg In-Town Revitalization Committee, Nashua Valley Council, Inc., United Fund of Greater Fitchburg, Inc., and more.

He enjoyed staying connected to friends and colleagues and was a member of The Tavern Club in Boston and the Orleans Yacht Club in Orleans and had been a member of the Nisi Prius Club, the Murray Inn of Court, and the Fay Club and Oak Hill Country Club, the latter two in Fitchburg. In more recent years, Gelinas Sr. worked part time as a senior advisor in the wealth management department of Rollstone Bank & Trust and was serving a trustee of both the George R. Wallace Jr. and the Douglas and Isabel Crocker foundations.

Nickerson Funeral Home in Orleans is assisting the family with arrangements. Honoring Gelinas Sr.’s wishes, there will be no formal services or calling hours and a private burial will be held with his family. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Fitchburg Historical Society.

Above all, Gelinas Sr. was unfailingly a dedicated husband, father, grandfather, son, and brother who treasured his family and will be missed by many. Charley Gelinas had this to say about his older brother.

“My brother Andy never thought of public service as an obligation. He thought of it as a privilege, and he’d shrug off any praise for it. While the legislature put the Gelinas name on the courthouse, to most people around town he was just Andy regardless of any position or titles he held. He’d stop and talk with anyone and take the time to really listen and empathize. Likewise, if the courts, hospitals, schools, or other civic institutions needed help, he’d say yes and did the work. When the work was done, he’d point to everyone else in the room and give them the credit”.

His children said they will miss “the quiet conversations, the belly laughs, and the comfort of his presence.”

“We will miss our sunny days on Nauset beach, fishing, clamming, and rides on the water aboard his beloved boat, the Mistral Nauset. Cape Cod was his little slice of heaven on earth, and he shared that love with all of us.

“He was a giant of a man with the gentlest of hearts,” they went on to say. “He often said his children were his greatest legacy. We are incredibly proud to be that legacy and even prouder of the man who raised us.”