William F. “Mac’ McAllister
...retired Tewksbury firefighter; 88
NEW PORT RICHEY, FL - William F. “Mac” McAllister, age 88, a former Tewksbury
firefighter, died Thursday, Feb. 3. He was the husband of Audrey (Goddard) McAllister, with
whom he would have celebrated a 65th wedding anniversary in June.
He was born in Somerville, Sept 13, 1916, a son of the late William and Agnes (McMillan)
McAllister. He lived in Somerville and Woburn before moving to Tewksbury, where he lived
from 1952 to 1975. Since 1975, he had lived in New Port Richey, FL.
During WWII, he served in the U.S. Navy as an electrician’s mate.
He began his career with the Tewksbury Fire Department in 1952 when he was appointed as a call
firefighter. He was appointed as a permanent Firefighter on April 6, 1959, and retired on Jan. 31,
1975. He was active in the founding of Tewksbury’s Local 1647, of the International Association
Firefighter’s Union, and served as Union President in 1966.
As a Tewksbury resident, he was a Charter Member of the Tewksbury-Wilmington Elks Lodge,
and was a member of the Tewksbury American Legion Post.
Besides his wife, he is survived by a daughter and son-in-law, Ruth Simon and her husband
William of Yorktown, VA; a son and two daughters-in-law, Nashua Firefighter Donald McAllister
and his wife Sherry (Boutwell) of Londonderry, NH, and Jo Ann (Brown) McAllister of
Tewksbury; seven grandchildren, Kelly Ann Buttaci of N.J., Scott, Gregg and Patrick Simon all of
VA, Angela Lambert of Manchester, NH, John McAllsiter of Nashua and Sean McAllister of
Londonderry, NH; and seven great grandchildren.
He was also father of Tewksbury call firefighter John McAllister, who died from injuries sustained
in the Chapman Road Gas Explosion in 1972, and brother of the late James McAllister and Jessie
Hedin.
His funeral was held Saturday , Feb. 12,
noon in the funeral home. Committal services with Navy and Firefighter Honors followed in Tewksbury
cemetery. Memorials to the Greater Lowell VNA Hospice, P.O. 1965, Lowell, MA 01853 will be
appreciated.