William E Anderson Obituary (1930 - 2017)

WESTFORD- William "Bill" Everett Anderson, 86, long-time resident of Westford passed away peacefully at his home on April 18, 2017. He was the loving husband of Joan R. (Monaghan) Anderson of Westford with whom he shared a devoted 62-year marriage. Bill was born in Oshkosh, Wisconsin on July 24, 1930, a son of John E. and Lucy A. (Mosher) Anderson. He honorably served in the US Army in Korea where he earned the rank of Staff Sergeant and served as a radio engineer in the war. Upon his discharge, Bill was employed as a test engineer at Raytheon, developing navigation systems for the space program and participated in the launch of the Apollo 8 mission. Bill was a life-long learner and avid reader, and was well known for the stack of books by his chair. During his retirement, Bill focused his engineering talents towards creating an efficient vegetable garden; feeding birds and foiling squirrels; and watching sunsets with Joan. In addition to his wife he is survived by his children, Kathleen M. Brooker and her husband David of Tyngsboro; Thomas W. Anderson of Malibu, CA; James E. Anderson of Ayer; Debra A. Nelson and her husband David of Knox, NY; and William E. Anderson, Jr. and his wife Ludmila of Manchester, NH; his brother, Donald Anderson and his wife Viola of Dracut; his sister Ruth Hancock of Nashua, NH and sister in law Carol Donaruma of Westford. He is further survived by 11 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren. Bill is predeceased by his siblings; Betty, Bobby and Gloria. Visitation will be held on Sunday April 23, 2017 from 4 until 7 PM in the Blake Chelmsford Funeral Home, 24 Worthen Street, Chelmsford. His Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Monday morning at 11 AM in St. Mary Parish, 25 North Road, Chelmsford. KINDLY MEET AT CHURCH. Interment will follow in Pine Grove Cemetery, Westford. For those who wish, donations in loving memory of Bill can be made to: J.V. Fletcher Library, 50 Main Street, Westford, MA 01886 to honor his love of reading or to: Smile Train, PO Box 96231, Washington, DC 20090-6231. Visitation April 23, 2017 4:00pm - 7:00pm, Blake Chelmsford Funeral Home 24 Worthen Street Chelmsford, MA 01824 Service Information April 24, 2017 11:00am, Saint Mary Catholic Church 25 North Road Chelmsford, MA 01824 Interment Location Pine Grove Cemetery Westford Forge Village Road Westford, MA