1939
William
2019
William D Brodeur
May 21, 1939 — April 12, 2019
Hilton Head, SC – William D. Brodeur, an avid golfer and former football star who loved nothing more than cocktails and stories with a roomful of family or friends, died April 12 in Hilton Head, S.C. He was 79.
A Memorial Service will be held Wednesday, June 5, 2019 at 10:00 a.m. in St. Joseph’s Church, Fitchburg. Burial will be in St. Joseph’s Cemetery. There are no calling hours. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to a charity of one’s choice.
Hilton Head, SC – William D. Brodeur, an avid golfer and former football star who loved nothing more than cocktails and stories with a roomful of family or friends, died April 12 in Hilton Head, S.C. He was 79.
He was born May 21, 1939 in Fitchburg, Mass. to the late Alfred and Anne (Naliwaka) Brodeur. They named him William, but everyone knew him as Billy.
Bill Brodeur never met a stranger. A single errand could take over an hour. He seemed to know everyone, having spent most of his life in the area, devoted not only to his family, but to the Boston Red Sox, the New England Patriots and the community that surrounded him.
He graduated from Saint Joseph’s Elementary School and Notre Dame High School in 1956, where he was a Four Letterman in football, baseball, basketball, and track.
His athletic talent earned him a football scholarship to Holy Cross, where, as a freshman, he scored a touchdown against Harvard. He transferred to Northern Michigan University, where he graduated in 1960 with a degree in Business Administration. He was inducted into the school’s Football Hall of Fame, receiving the Distinguished Alumni Gold Medal. He went on to earn a Master’s Degree in Community Operations from the University of Pittsburgh.
At a young age, and after the death of his father, Bill took over the family businesses: Roy’s Cafe and the Blinker Cafe in Fitchburg.
He was the director of the United Way from 1970-1984, and also worked for the State of Massachusetts Welfare Dept. In 1984 he became a sales representative for the A&E Distributors in Leominster, where he covered the central Massachusetts area selling Coors Lite products. He retired in 2000.
Bill was a member of Oak Hill Country Club, the Fitchburg Order of the Elks, and the Leominster Rotary. In the 1960’s William coached football at St. Bernard’s High School.
Retirement allowed him to fully indulge in his love of tennis and golf, and afterwards to tell stories of his adventures — including a hole-in-one — over cocktails at The Hurricane. His big laugh could fill a room.
He was predeceased by his first wife, Marilyn (Ciprotti) Brodeur, his brother Robert A. Brodeur, and sister-in-law Marion Daniel Brodeur.
He leaves his wife, Linda Jo (Sandell) Brodeur of South Carolina. They married 24 years ago on the San Antonio River Walk in Texas. He also leaves his daughters, Kerry Ann Brodeur of Yarmouth, Mass. and Holly Jane Brodeur of San Francisco.
A Memorial Service will be held Wednesday, June 5, 2019 at 10:00 a.m. in St. Joseph’s Church, Fitchburg. Burial will be in St. Joseph’s Cemetery. There are no calling hours. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to a charity of one’s choice.
A Memorial Service will be held Wednesday, June 5, 2019 at 10:00 a.m. in St. Joseph’s Church, Fitchburg. Burial will be in St. Joseph’s Cemetery. There are no calling hours. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to a charity of one’s choice.
Hilton Head, SC – William D. Brodeur, an avid golfer and former football star who loved nothing more than cocktails and stories with a roomful of family or friends, died April 12 in Hilton Head, S.C. He was 79.
He was born May 21, 1939 in Fitchburg, Mass. to the late Alfred and Anne (Naliwaka) Brodeur. They named him William, but everyone knew him as Billy.
Bill Brodeur never met a stranger. A single errand could take over an hour. He seemed to know everyone, having spent most of his life in the area, devoted not only to his family, but to the Boston Red Sox, the New England Patriots and the community that surrounded him.
He graduated from Saint Joseph’s Elementary School and Notre Dame High School in 1956, where he was a Four Letterman in football, baseball, basketball, and track.
His athletic talent earned him a football scholarship to Holy Cross, where, as a freshman, he scored a touchdown against Harvard. He transferred to Northern Michigan University, where he graduated in 1960 with a degree in Business Administration. He was inducted into the school’s Football Hall of Fame, receiving the Distinguished Alumni Gold Medal. He went on to earn a Master’s Degree in Community Operations from the University of Pittsburgh.
At a young age, and after the death of his father, Bill took over the family businesses: Roy’s Cafe and the Blinker Cafe in Fitchburg.
He was the director of the United Way from 1970-1984, and also worked for the State of Massachusetts Welfare Dept. In 1984 he became a sales representative for the A&E Distributors in Leominster, where he covered the central Massachusetts area selling Coors Lite products. He retired in 2000.
Bill was a member of Oak Hill Country Club, the Fitchburg Order of the Elks, and the Leominster Rotary. In the 1960’s William coached football at St. Bernard’s High School.
Retirement allowed him to fully indulge in his love of tennis and golf, and afterwards to tell stories of his adventures — including a hole-in-one — over cocktails at The Hurricane. His big laugh could fill a room.
He was predeceased by his first wife, Marilyn (Ciprotti) Brodeur, his brother Robert A. Brodeur, and sister-in-law Marion Daniel Brodeur.
He leaves his wife, Linda Jo (Sandell) Brodeur of South Carolina. They married 24 years ago on the San Antonio River Walk in Texas. He also leaves his daughters, Kerry Ann Brodeur of Yarmouth, Mass. and Holly Jane Brodeur of San Francisco.
A Memorial Service will be held Wednesday, June 5, 2019 at 10:00 a.m. in St. Joseph’s Church, Fitchburg. Burial will be in St. Joseph’s Cemetery. There are no calling hours. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to a charity of one’s choice.
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