William A. DeVasher Jr. of Wellesley passed away on August 29, 2018 surrounded by his loving family. He was born in Philadelphia in 1945 to Helene and William Sr. and spent his early childhood in Kansas City, Missouri. As a boy, he developed his lifelong love of animals, assisted his grandmother Alice in her antique shop, and played baseball and competitive chess. After graduating from LaSalle College High School in Philadelphia, he attended the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School and Law School. He started his career as an attorney in New York City and Connecticut.
For more than 30 years, he practiced corporate law in Wellesley, representing new, small, and mid-sized businesses throughout New England. He truly loved his profession, and was personally invested in achieving positive outcomes for and building lasting relationships with his clients.
Bill’s many interests included keeping rare tortoises, expanding his collections of minerals and French stamps, reading military history books, playing in neighborhood poker games, watching old Western films, and challenging himself to a spicy meal with friends. He was an avid and knowledgeable fan of New England and college sports, and had rowed on Penn’s crew team and run several marathons. Bill was an active member of Penn’s alumni community, serving as an interviewer of Boston-area applicants, and was a past officer of Wellesley’s Rotary Club. He enjoyed weekends away in Maine and visits to his extended family in England. Most of all, he loved spending time with his family over a good meal.
He is survived by his wife, Elizabeth Janet, and his two daughters and their families: Claire and Daniel Herman of Norwell (grandsons Henry and Dylan) and Emily and Timothy Derosier of Newton (granddaughters and grandson Annabelle, Teddy, and Phoebe). Visiting hours at the George F. Doherty & Sons Funeral Home, 477 Washington St. (Rt 16) Wellesley on Friday September 7 from 5-8pm. Funeral Mass in St. Paul Church, Wellesley, on Saturday Sept 8 at 11:30am. Relatives and friends kindly invited. Interment private. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the New England Herpetological Society.