William McQuillen, of Peabody passed away on April 17, 2020 , at the Beverly Hospital after a period of declining health. The only child of William and Catherine (Ryan) McQuillen, Bill grew up in the Roslindale/West Roxbury section of Boston.
He was a graduate of Boston Latin School, earned a Bachelor's degree from Boston State Teachers' College, and a Master’s degree from the University of Maine at Orono. Bill was proud of having been a member of the Boston Latin Drum and Bugle Corps that marched at the inauguration of President John F. Kennedy. Bill's entire teaching career was spent with the students at the Middle School of Reading. He himself was a devoted student of history and enjoyed dressing in costume to play the part of historical characters. In his retirement, Bill enjoyed watching the Boston Red Sox and the New England Patriots and visiting historical sites, especially Gettysburg, and in more recent years had travelled to China, Serbia and Croatia. A faith-filled Catholic, Bill was a member of St. Adelaide's Church in Peabody and was a well-liked CCD teacher.
Holding him close in memory are his cousins, Maureen Lord of Plymouth, Michelle Morgan of Boston, Dr. Kevin Ryan of Narraganset, RI, Judith Parsons of Hanover, Alice Daly of Weymouth and Barbara Farquhar of Merrimac as well as Paul Govoni and Jill Govoni Carter, both of Winthrop. He is further survived by his kind and generous neighbors and his Church family. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations in Bill's name be made to one of his favorite charities, St Jude Hospital for Children 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN. 38105.
Due to restrictions from the Covid-19 pandemic, Funeral Services will be private and a Memorial Mass will be held at a later date.