Michael William Herlihy

Michael William Herlihy was born in Dover, Delaware on May 16th 1942 to James and Margaret Herlihy. After the end of World War II, Michael was raised in Whitestone, Queens in the City of New York. Michael’s father, a graduate of Fordham College, was a New York City Policeman and his mother, a graduate of Hunter College was an Elementary School teacher.

After graduation from St.Luke’s Elementary School in Whitestone, Michael attended the newly opened Holy Cross High School in Bayside, Queens and participated in the very first graduating class in 1959. Michael graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nuclear Engineering from the State University of New York Maritime School in Fort Schuyler, the Bronx, in the City of New York in 1963.

After graduation, Michael worked as a Maritime Engineer on several commercial shipping cruises out of New York City. Upon his marriage to Christine Black of Bayside, New York in December 1963, Michael worked for Newport News Shipbuilding Company in Newport News, Virginia as a Nuclear Engineer and was involved in the design and build of several Nuclear Submarines for the United States Navy. During their time in Newport News from 1964 to 1979, Michael and Christine raised their children, Karen and Brian.

Pursuing a career path in the commercial nuclear industry, Michael took a position at the Engineering Consulting firm of Burns and Roe and the family re-located to Ramsey, New Jersey. Subsequent to the nuclear incident, Michael took a position as a Nuclear Engineer involved in the cleanup of the Three Mile Island Nuclear Power Plant facility in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Over the next several years, Michael took on positions as a consultant in the Commercial Nuclear Power Plant industry at multiple locations that included the Long Island Lighting Company facility under construction in Shoreham, Long Island. During this period, Michael and Christine lived in Stony Brook on the North Shore of Long Island.

After the tragic passing of Christine in 1994, Michael continued to work in the nuclear industry but took a career break as a ski Instructor in Killington, Vermont in 1999 where he met Lucinda Barrett. Lucinda (Cindy) and Michael married in 2001.

Michael resumed his role as a Nuclear Engineering consultant and over the next several years worked in the commercial nuclear field including the NRC, Millstone Power Plant in New London Connecticut, the Pickering Plant in Ontario, Canada, the Davis Besse facility on Lake Erie, Ohio and the Florida Power and Light Nuclear Power Plant in Port St. Lucie, Florida. During this most recent period, Michael and Cindy lived in Jensen Beach, Florida where they enjoyed the warm weather, their condo overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, swims in the ocean and pools, windsurfing and biking and running races on the Jensen Beach Island. Michael and Cindy also maintain a home in Barnard, Vermont where they returned for skiing and the wintry beauty of New England over many a season.

Michael’s grandchildren include Christine and Kate, daughters of Karen Herlihy Meiselbach and Scott Meiselbach; Liam, son of Brian and Bernadine Herlihy and step-grandchildren Morgan and Ashleigh Paige, daughters of Heidi and Peter Krockta; Spencer and Grant, sons of Marguerite and Alex Murray.

Michael was surrounded by his friends and family through his fight with brain cancer and his treatment in the New York Presbyterian Hospital in New York, New York.

Michael’s survivors also include his younger sister, Eileen Mc Laughlin and brother, John Herlihy. Michael also has a special place in the heart of; John (Jay), Michael and Matthew McLaughlin, sons of John and Eileen Herlihy Mc Laughlin; Terence Herlihy, Nancy Herlihy Costello and Lauren Herlihy Kutkowski, children of John and Patricia Herlihy; and Cindy’s sons Chris Higgins, his wife Amy, and Tom Barrett.

Michael’s spirit, love and clarity of mind will endure in all of us touched by his goodness and strength.