William J. Powers

William J. Powers, 88, of Milton and Harwichport, died peacefully at the Marina Bay Skilled Nursing & Rehabilitation Center in Quincy on July 24. Devoted husband of 65 years to the former Anne F. Sullivan. Cherished brother to the late Mary A. Powers. Beloved father of John and his wife Elaine of Wellesley, William, Jr. and his wife Jane of Quincy, Anne “Nancy” and her partner Ruth of Quincy, Timothy and his fiancee Joanne of Natick, Miriam of Lafayette, La. and Damien of Milton. Treasured grandfather to Jonathan, Evan, Meaghan, Caitlin, Kristen, Connor and Maya and great-grandfather to Georgianna. Doting uncle to all of his nieces and nephews. Called Bill because he arrived on the first of the month, he was a 1940 graduate of English High School who worked for the Boston & Albany Railroad before enlisting in the US Coast Guard, where he was an electrician’s mate based out of New London for the duration of the war. After joining the Boston Police Department in 1947 he served as a patrolman in Division 10 at Roxbury Crossing and Division 16 in the Back Bay until his promotion to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office, where he served as a Detective and later was named Commander. After deferring scholarly pursuits for a quarter century Bill enrolled at Northeastern University while working full-time and was graduated in 1972 as a member of Sigma Epsilon Rho, he earned a master’s degree in public administration in 1975 and later served as a part-time faculty member in the Department of Law Enforcement and Security. After his retirement in 1978, he was employed by First Security Services before forming the investigative firm of William J. Powers & Associates. Bill’s aggregation of family members, friends and admirers was so expansive that he found it convenient to address them by category, in ascending order of seniority — Charlie, Pal, Dad and Guv’nah. Females of any age were Lovey. Bill was a prodigious gardener who outwitted generations of rodents and insects and harvested and enjoyed supersized tomatoes, cucumbers and zucchini that defied botanical logic. His legendary “Grandpa Breakfasts”, concocted in his Cape kitchen, contained sufficient protein and carbohydrates to sustain a road crew until nightfall. After confounding his physicians for decades by surviving heart surgery, emphysema, a stroke, cancer and eight decades of a pigmeat-rich diet, Bill at last was undone by what he would have described as “shortness of breath”. He now can be found front and center in the eternal garden, advising his Maker about mulching techniques. Visitation will be on Monday, August 1 from 4:00-8:00 p.m. at Keohane Funeral Home, 785 Hancock St., Quincy MA, 02170. A requiem Mass will be held on Tuesday, August 2 at 10:00 a.m. at St. Elizabeth Church, 350 Reedsdale Rd., Milton, MA 02186 with burial to follow at Milton Cemetery, 211 Centre St. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Cops For Kids With Cancer, P.O. Box 850956, Braintree, MA 02185.