‘Great Leader’: Longtime Walpole Select Board Member Mark Gallivan Dies

The Walpole community is remembering a man whose public service helped shape several major town projects.

By Jessie Castellano, Patch Staff

Oct 29, 2026 2:50 PM EDT

Mark Gallivan, longtime Select Board member whose public service helped shape several major town projects, died on Wednesday. He was 69. (Town of Walpole)

WALPOLE, MA — The Walpole community is remembering a longtime Select Board member whose public service helped shape several major town projects.

Mark Gallivan, a community leader who has served the town in a number of ways, died on Wednesday. He was 69.

"Mark dedicated a great deal of his life to serving the Town of Walpole," the town wrote in an announcement. "Throughout his years of involvement in Town government and various civic organizations, he served on numerous boards and committees."

Gallivan had served continuously on the Select Board since June 2011 after six years on the Finance Committee and had been elected to his sixth three-year board term in May.

Outside of his service in local government, he also volunteered with the Walpole High School Robotics Team and was the former president of Walpole Youth Soccer.

Town officials credited Gallivan with helping advance the construction of Walpole's police station, fire station, Department of Public Works building and Council on Aging facility. He also played a role in developing the Route 1A Fields Complex, the new middle school and the renovation of Walpole High School.

"Mark was a great leader who had the ability to put personal and political differences aside and work with others to do what he believed was in the best interest of the Town," the town wrote, adding that the projects will serve Walpole residents for generations to come. "His willingness to serve, his dedication to the Town, and the countless hours he devoted to making our community a better place will not be forgotten."

Visiting hours will be held on Monday from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Alexander F. Thomas and Sons Funeral Home 45 Common St. and a mass will be celebrated Tuesday at 11 a.m. at St Timothy's Catholic Church.

The family asks that in lieu of flowers, donations in Gallivan's memory be made to the Walpole Council on Aging or the Walpole High School Robotics Program.