Peabody…….

Attorney John E. Wall, age 76 husband of Jane A. (Lyness) Wall of Peabody died Tuesday morning in the Beth Israel Hospital following a brief illness.

Born and raised in Lynn the son of the late Edward and Mary (Cormier) Wall, he was educated at St. Jean's School and High School. Attorney Wall then received his B.S. in Government, Cum Laude, from Boston College in the Class of 1954. A Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Army, he served active duty in the United States Army as a Ranger and Paratrooper from 1954 to 1957. Following his discharge he remained in the U.S. Army Reserve for many years until receiving his honorable discharge in 1968. He received his LL.B from Columbia University, School of Law in 1960 and admitted to the Massachusetts Bar in 1961. He then became a Trial Attorney for the Organized Crime Section for the Department of Justice from 1963 to 1965 while furthering his education at Georgetown University where he received his LL.M in the Class of 1965, the same year he was admitted to the Bar of both District of Columbia and the U.S. Supreme Court.

Attorney Wall was active in many areas of law. His career included service as a Special Trial Assistant to the US. Attorney for the District of Columbia from 1965 to 1969, Assistant United States Attorney, Federal District of Massachusetts from 1966 to 1969. He then became Assistant Attorney General for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Chief of Criminal Division from 1969 to 1970, the Attorney in Charge, U.S Department of Justice Organize Crime Strike Force for New Orleans, LA from 1970- 1973. In 1971 Attorney Wall, then head of the federal crime strike force represented District Attorney Gerald Gallinghouse and had charges of taking payoffs to protect illegal gambling dismissed. Attorney Wall presented argument for the first RICO case before the U.S Supreme Court, UNITED STATES V. TURKETTE in 1981.

For over 35 years, Attorney Wall was in private practice for cases covering Criminal Law, White Collar Crime and Drug Defense in Complex criminal litigation in both Federal and State Courts representing Attorney as well as other professionals and individuals. A member of the Massachusetts and American Bar Association and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers where he had served as a member of the Board of Directors from 1982-1988 he was a fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers. Since 1987, for the past 20 years, his professional peers have voted him as a member of the Best Lawyers in America.

In addition to his wife, Attorney Wall is survived by three step sons J. Patrick and his wife Anne Lyness of Shaker Heights, Ohio, J. Matthew and his wife Kathy Lyness of Bedford Corners, NY and Thomas E. and his wife Susan Lyness of Greer, SC; three step daughters Martha L. and her husband J.D. Smeallie of Beverly Sarah J and her husband Patrick Walsh of Sterling, MA and Angela and her husband Bob Sweeney of North Andover; a brother Robert and his wife Marilyn Wall of Las Vegas, NV; 15 grandchildren Thomas and Andrew Smeallie, Ryan, Patrick and Connor Sweeney, Patrick and Barry Walsh, Sean, James, David, Jack, Parker, Ethan, Hannah and Maeve Lyness and a nephew several nieces, grand nieces and grandnephews.

His funeral will be held on Saturday at 11:30 A.M. in the Immaculate Conception Church, 15 Hawthorne Blvd. Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to attend. Visiting hours will be Friday from 4 to 8 P.M. in the Murphy Funeral Home, 85 Federal St. (cor of North St) Salem. Interment will be private. Blood Donations in honor of Atty. Wall may be made to the Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital or the American Red. Monetary contributions may be made to the Boston College Scholarship Fund, 140 Commonwealth Ave, Chestnut Hill MA 02467or to the Peabody Institute Library, South Branch, 78 Lynn St., Peabody, Ma. 01960. For online guest book or additional information please visit www.MurphyFuneralHome.com or call 978 744 0497.