Edward A. Curtin of Salem, age 84, died after a short illness on January 20, 2022. He was the loving husband of Carol (Ring) Curtin, with whom he shared 61 years of marriage.

Born in Salem, he was the son of Thomas and Margaret (Welch) Curtin. He was a graduate of Salem High School (Class of 1955) and Salem State College (Class of 1960). He later received a Master's Degree from Salem State and also pursued post-graduate work at Northeastern University.

Shortly after his graduation from college, he obtained a teaching position at the Carmelite Junior Seminary in Hamilton, MA, where he founded the boys' basketball program.  He later was the varsity boys' basketball coach at Peabody High School. He became a teacher at his alma mater after departing the Carmelite Junior Seminary, teaching social studies. Even decades after his retirement from teaching, he would receive and treasure countless cards and letters from former students whose lives he had touched. He would often amaze former students he met decades after they left his class with his memories of them.

He entered school administration first as an administrative assistant to the principal, and then vice principal at Salem High. He served as principal of SHS from 1974 to 1987, and as Superintendent of Schools from 1987 to 1996. During his tenure as a school administrator, he was a tireless advocate of "Salem kids," especially those who were disadvantaged and had no one to advocate for them. Among his proudest achievements was the founding of the Teen Parenting Program at SHS, aimed at keeping young parents in school and providing them with the parenting skills they would need. In later years, he was a strong advocate for students for whom English was a second language. When a mother expressed concern that her son would not graduate due to attendance issues, he promised he would make sure the student would graduate – and made good on his promise by picking him up to bring him to school every day.

After his retirement, he enjoyed returning to the classroom as an adjunct professor at Salem State University's Graduate School of Education. He also served for many years as a Fenway Ambassador for the Boston Red Sox organization, providing personalized tours of the park to VIPs and meeting a host of celebrities, athletes, performers and fellow Red Sox fans. His two passions outside of his family and his work were the Red Sox and singing, and he was featured as the singer of the National Anthem at Fenway Park three times. He enjoyed playing basketball, tennis, and singing karaoke.

Ed adored and revered his wife, Carol, with the same passion as when they met as teenagers. He was inordinately proud of his four children and their spouses - Robert (Sharon Cameron) of Peabody; Sharon (Robert Keane) of Bedford; William (Elizabeth Young) and Rachel (Alan McAlpine), all of Beverly – and no grandparent has ever been prouder of and more voluble about his grandchildren: Hayley and Theodore Curtin; Miranda, Aisling and Rose Keane; Sean and Julia Curtin; and Clayton, Cecilia and Bradley McAlpine.  The highlight of his later years was the annual week spent with the entire family at Long Beach in Gloucester.

Ed was also devoted to his many nieces and nephews and their children. Over the years, from his early school days to his recent times at the Polish Club of Danvers, he accumulated a wealth of friends, including William McKinnon of Danvers and the late Larry McIntire of Salem.

He was predeceased by his parents and his siblings, Ann (Gertrude), Florence, Donald, Virginia, Patricia, and Mary, as well as their spouses, and his sister-in-law Clara (Claire). He never forgot those who were kind to him and in recent weeks, as he bravely faced his battle with Alzheimer's disease, he spent his time compiling a lengthy list of all those who had helped and supported him from his childhood to his final years.  He was an enormously grateful person, and even in his struggles with health issues, would repeatedly say, "We are blessed."

A celebration of his life will be scheduled at a later time. Donations in his name can be made to Plummer Youth Promise, 37 Winter Island Road, Salem, MA 01970. For more information or online guestbook, please visit www.MurphyFuneralHome.com or call 978-744-0497.