Francis Carroll, longtime Worcester business leader and philanthropist, dies

Photo | Brad Kane Frank Carroll, founder and CEO of the Small Business Service Bureau, has passed away.

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Francis Carroll, a longtime leader in the Worcester business and nonprofit communities and Korean War veteran, has passed away.

Carroll, a member of the WBJ Hall of Fame Class of 2017, founded the Small Business Service Bureau in 1968 and had been heavily involved in a number of nonprofit endeavors over the years, including supporting the United Way of Central Massachusetts, the St. John’s Food for the Poor Program, and The Hanover Theatre & Conservatory for the Performing Arts.

“His unwavering support and dedication to Worcester and THT helped shape our organization into what it is today,” The Hanover Theatre wrote in a Facebook post on Wednesday. “We are so grateful that he got to see how far his generosity has taken us, culminating in the opening of Francis R. Carroll Plaza last year.”

The plaza in front of the Hanover Theatre was named in Carroll’s honor in 2023 due to his support of the ambitious project, which brought the former performance space back to life in 2008.

“He will be remembered as a champion of small business, veterans affairs & community service,” read a Facebook post on Thursday by the City of Worcester.

Shunning a conventional retirement, Carroll continued to work seven days a week into his later years.

“I love the thrill of the chase,” Carroll explained to WBJ in 2018.

Carroll led efforts to bring a Korean War memorial to downtown Worcester, a conflict he served in during his time in the U.S. Navy. A history buff, Carroll spent what little free time he had collecting historical memorabilia, with his impressive collection largely focused on American presidents and vice presidents.

Eric Casey is a staff writer at Worcester Business Journal, who primarily covers the manufacturing and real estate industries.