William James “Bill” Brown, Jr., age 77, of Woburn, formerly of Webster, MA and Rochester, NY, passed away on March 13, 2021, lovingly surrounded by his family. He was the beloved husband of Jill (Johnson) Brown.
Born in Worcester, MA, he was the son of the late William James and Janet E. (Saunders) Brown. Bill was born deaf and had an oral education, using speech and lipreading to communicate. Later in life he additionally learned American Sign Language. He attended the Upsala Street School in Worcester, where he learned to speak, and The Clarke School for The Deaf in Northampton. Bill attended Assumption Preparatory School in Worcester and was the first deaf student to attend and graduate from there. He then attended Dean Junior College, and NTID (National Technical Institute for the Deaf) at (RIT Rochester Institute of Technology) and earned a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering. Bill was employed as a computer programmer for Xerox in Rochester for over 20 years.
Bill grew up spending summers on the Cape with his family, and continued enjoying the Cape vacations throughout his life. He loved the beach – for swimming, walking, and relaxing in the sun.
Being active and athletic throughout his life, Bill took every opportunity to participate in sports and adventurous activity. Throughout his schooling Bill participated in team sports including basketball, football, and track. He was also a member of the National Honor Society. Bill received his High School’s prestigious John R. Granger Memorial Award as a senior for excellence in academics and athletics. During his four years of high school Bill received eight out of a possible twelve varsity letters.
As an adult Bill played on a traveling softball team as part of the Mohawk Deaf Club. He was part of bowling leagues for approximately 40 years and often acted in a leadership position, as team captain and league secretary. He was a member of a local gym and would go for workouts several times a week. At cook outs Bill enjoyed playing horse shoes, volleyball, bean bag toss, and going in the pool. At functions with a band or DJ Bill could often be found on the dance floor, preferably near the speakers or with a balloon in his hands so he could better feel the music.
During vacations Bill would take advantage of whatever activities were available or specific to the location including: parasailing at the Cape, taking a helicopter to walk on glaciers in Alaska, paddling with a crew on an outrigger in Hawaii, and participating as a crew member in a sailing regatta in St. Maarten. Bill was disappointed when a planned helicopter trip in Hawaii to tour dormant volcanoes was cancelled due to a recent earthquake.
Later in life, Bill reconnected with Jill (Johnson), whom he had known years ago as a classmate for two years at The Clarke School for the Deaf. The bond was immediate, and the relationship grew until their marriage.
Bill was an avid sports enthusiast and a fan of college football and all of the New England Sports teams. On many occasions he made his way to the Patriots Training Camp, or to the Red Sox Spring Training when he was in Florida. Bill could also be found cheering on children in his extended family as they participated in local sports.
Bill was an amazing husband, stepdad, brother and friend. Easygoing and social, he was always willing to lend a hand with any project, including repairs, painting, and yardwork, and thoroughly enjoyed spending time with family and friends. Bill was quick to show interest, compassion, and support to others and befriended everyone he met.
In addition to his wife, Jill, Bill is lovingly survived by his stepchildren, Michael D. Saraco, III and fiancé Patty Mahoney of Woburn, Wendy Halloran and husband Scott of Tewksbury, and a sister, Anne M. Brown, of Webster. In light of the precautions with Covid-19, a Celebration of Life will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory may be made to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, Grand Central Station, P.O. Box 4777, New York, NY 10163-4777 www.michaeljfox.org . Arrangements by Costello Funeral Home, Winchester, MA. www.costellofuneralhome.com