William Bootle
In Memory of
William James
Bootle
1925 - 2017
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Blake Chelmsford Funeral Home & Cremation Service
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Memorial Candle Tribute From
Gail Noonan
"I will miss your 'Lovely Gentleman', Mary. My Sincerest Sympathy to You and Fam"
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Obituary for William James Bootle

William James  Bootle
NORTH CHELMSFORD- William J. Bootle, 91, formerly of Merrimack NH, Sandwich, and Chelmsford, passed away on June 22, 2017 following a period of declining health. He was the loving husband of Mary (Edwards) Bootle with whom he shared a 63 year marriage.

Born in St. Georges, England on October 27, 1925, he was the son of the late Lawrence and Lillian (Pickering) Bootle. He served honourably in the RAF as a flight mechanic and instructor, then earned a B.S. in Mathematics & Physics from the University of London and a Diploma of Education from the University of Leicester, where he was the President of the Student Union from 1951-1952. Later in his career, he was awarded an M.S. in Civil Engineering from Northeastern University, Boston.

Emigrating to the US in 1957 as part of the 1950’s British aeronautical engineering “brain drain,” he briefly worked for Cessna, Presto (Aviation Div.) and Aeronca, before returning to England in 1960 to work for Dowty Fuel Control Systems. In 1962 he was drawn back to the US to work for AVCO (now Textron) in Wilmington, MA, where he spent the majority of his career as a Senior Staff Scientist in the aerospace and defense industry. He also worked for a short period (1974) at Mitre Corp in McLean, VA on high speed transportation systems.

He was a member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, a Fellow of the British Interplanetary Society, an Associate Fellow in the Royal Aeronautical Society, and a Chartered Engineer (UK). Bill had a love of airplanes and steam locomotives, built models of each, and was a member of the National Railroad Association. He had a brilliant mind and could fix almost anything mechanical. He loved to talk and share his experiences, but was never boastful. He also had a wonderful sense of humor and will be dearly missed by all who knew him.

In addition to his wife, Mary, Bill is survived by his children, Carol Bootle of Lower Macungie, PA, Michael Bootle of Madison, WI, and Richard Bootle of Dracut, MA; a granddaughter, Samantha Hinckley of Washington, DC; and two sisters, Gwendolyn Morris (husband Bill) and Evelyn Gough (husband Malcolm), all of Shropshire, England.

Relatives and friends are invited to a gathering on Saturday July 22, 2017 from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM at Blake Funeral Home in Chelmsford. A Memorial Service will immediately follow. For those who wish to support individuals with developmental difficulties, donations may be made in loving memory of Bill to: LifeLinks, 285 Mill Road, Chelmsford, MA 01824 or Bridgewell, 10 Dearborn Road, Peabody, MA 01960.