Born in Holyoke, where he lived until his death, Ferriter grew up during the Great Depression. The family business included selling coal and wood for heat, something that would inform his work for the rest of his life.
Ferriter attended Saint Jerome grammar and high school in Holyoke, where he met Peggy Hennigan, his future wife. While he was at Saint Jerome High, Holyoke Junior College President George Frost, on a recruiting visit, first approached him about attending college. “My father always impressed me with the fact that if you want to get anywhere in life, you better get a college education,” Ferriter said in a March 5, 2024, interview for a video promoting the June 2024 Holyoke Junior College Reunion.
Ferriter decided to enroll at Holyoke Junior College because he believed he was going to get an education “second to none” because of the distinguished faculty. “In my book,” he said, “there was no other choice. If I had had an offer from Harvard, I wouldn’t have gone because this place had much better education and much more opportunity.”
After graduating from Holyoke Junior College, Ferriter received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Massachusetts and a law degree from Western New England College School of Law. He was sworn in as an attorney in 1957.
Ferriter served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, receiving several medals and commendations for his service. He was an active member of the Korean War Veterans Association, the American Legion, and more.
After the Korean War, he founded Begley & Ferriter Law Firm in Holyoke and Boston with William E. Begley Sr. He went on to serve as Holyoke city solicitor, write legislation creating the Massachusetts Municipal Wholesale Electric Company, and served as the electric company’s general counsel for several decades. He was a founder of the Municipal Electric Association of Massachusetts and the Northeast Public Power Association. He was an active member of the American Public Power Association in Washington, D.C., where he regularly spoke at training seminars, and which honored him with its Person of the Year Award.
Every year, he marched proudly in the Holyoke St. Patrick’s Parade. He had been a founding member of the parade committee, which honored him with its O’Connell Award, its presidency, and named him grand marshal.
His other accolades for leadership and community service included the William G. Dwight Award, the Louis Oldershaw Community Service Award, the Greater Holyoke Chamber of Commerce Business Person of the Year Award, and the Holyoke Community College Distinguished Alumni Award.
He was a lifelong communicant of Saint Jerome Church, taught CCD at Blessed Sacrament Parish and Holy Cross Parish, and, with his wife, Peg, served in the Knights and Ladies of the Holy Sepulcher. Ferriter was a Third Degree Knight of Columbus and served meals at Providence Ministries for the Needy.
In 1992, he was appointed by Governor William F. Weld to a seat on the HCC Board of Trustees, serving until 2002, including as its chair. He also was a director on the HCC Foundation Board beginning in 1985, and served as chair from 2007-2010. He remained active as a director emeritus.
“Maurice was one of the first HCC Foundation Board members I met when I joined this community in 2017,” said Amanda Sbriscia, vice president of Institutional Advancement. “He shared, with great passion and pride, the history of Holyoke Community College as well as that of his beloved city. I sought his advice on so many matters, knowing he wanted the best for HCC and would always give me straight answers.”
In addition to involvement with numerous other community boards, he, along with dear friends, served on the committee that organized the first-ever Holyoke Junior College Reunion, in 2024, bringing together dozens of graduates from the 50s and 60s for cocktails and dinner at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute.
“Maurice was generous in sharing his passion and pride for both HCC and the city of Holyoke,” HCC President George Timmons wrote in an email to the HCC community. “Just last year, he invited me to join him as his guest for the Holyoke St. Patrick’s Day weekend festivities; I do not believe I could have had a better host. He embodied HCC values of kindness, collaboration, and trust. He played a crucial role in lifting up and strengthening a reputation for academic excellence at HCC, and for ensuring our students were supported and inspired.”
Ferriter was predeceased by his wife, Margaret Hennigan Ferriter, their son, Attorney Maurice J. Ferriter Jr., his parents John and Aldea Brouillet Ferriter, and brothers John, Robert and Thomas. He is survived by his children, Attorney John J. Ferriter, Attorney Mary M. Ferriter, and Joseph P. Ferriter M.D.; daughters-in-law, Rosalie Mengel Ferriter Moore, Attorney Deborah Desmarais Ferriter, and Jennifer Trauscht VanHorn M.D., and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
His legacy, and that of his late wife, Peggy, continues through the Maurice ’52 and Peggy Ferriter Scholarship they established through the HCC Foundation.
