William G. Earle, Jr.

William G. Earle, Jr. of Weymouth passed away peacefully with his family by his side at Brigham and Women’s Hospital on August 2, 2024 at 80 years old.

Bill, beloved and faithful husband of Carol, devoted and loving father to Jonathan, his wife Maleena and loving Grampy to Lyla, is also survived by his brother Randy and his wife Jeanne. 

Born in Salem, MA, Bill was the son of the late William Sr. and Jean Earle and is also predeceased by his brother Rick.

In 1961 Bill graduated from Beverly High School where he was co-captain of the 1960 undefeated Class A championship football team. He was selected to the Record American All Scholastic Football Team. In 2012 Bill was inducted into the Beverly High School Sports Hall of Fame. 

Billl graduated in 1965 from Brown University with a Classics degree. Playing football for four years, he had a stellar career at Brown. He remained a dedicated Brown football fan, attending games, listening to broadcasts, and watching games on TV.

Bill was a member of Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity and cherished his lifelong friendships with his fraternity brothers, having lunches annually and often talking on the phone with them. Bill and Carol returned to Brown for reunion weekends where they enjoyed spending time with former teammates and fraternity brothers. 

After graduating from Brown University, Bill taught Latin and coached for nine years at the Berkshire School. Bill and Carol were annually invited to the Berkshire School reunion weekend and it was always a highlight for them. Bill then continued his teaching and coaching career at Thayer Academy for 30 years. Bill coached football, wresting and track at Thayer and was more than a coach to so many. He used the power of sports to impact lessons to his student-athletes and served as a role model who valued teamwork, integrity, and sportsmanship. Bill, a beloved faculty member, touched many of his students in such a significant way that he maintained deep, lifelong friendships with a vast number of them. His students knew him as a caring teacher whose friendly and easygoing nature often belied his status as a first-rate scholar with a complete mastery of the Latin language. Fellow faculty members prized his razor-sharp wit, his gregarious personality, and his love of a good laugh. Bill’s unwavering commitment and constant support were instrumental in forming the unbreakable bonds he had with his former students, friends and family. As a testament to those bonds, Bill’s decades of teaching and coaching at Thayer Academy were recently memorialized by a gift from the Class of 1993 by naming his former classroom (213) with a plaque bearing his name.

Some of Bill’s happiest times were spent at his vacation home in Tuftonboro, N.H., often accompanied by family and friends. He enjoyed traveling, fishing for trout, playing Bridge with friends or listening to all sports, especially the Red Sox by a fire outside or by the woodstove on a cool fall night. 

His family would like to express their deep gratitude to his doctors and medical staff at Brigham Shapiro Cardiology for the excellent and compassionate care he received. 

A Celebration of Life/Luncheon will be held at the South Shore Country in Hingham on November 10, 2024 from 12 to 4 p.m. Please let Greg Wilson know by October 27 if you will attend. wilgreg98@gmail or 617-839-5360. 

If you would like to support a fund honoring Bill’s legacy for Thayer Academy students, please consider donating to the William G. Earle Jr. Memorial Fund. This fund will provide support for current or graduating students by assisting them with their high school or college education. The William G. Earle Jr. Memorial Fund has been set up at Community Foundation for MetroWest, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. If you wish to support this fund, please make your check payable to:

Community Foundation for MetroWest (with “William G. Earle Jr. Memorial Fund” noted in the memo area) and mail to:

William G. Earle Jr. Memorial Fund, 70 Browning Street, Weymouth, MA 02188

Any questions about the fund please contact Greg Wilson wilgreg98@gmail.com or 617-839-5360.