William Theodore Desmarais

He lived in Fall River, MA until he enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1961 where he served as a Postal Clerk in Frankfurt, Germany, until 1964.

In 1965 he married Claire Samson at St. Anne’s Church in Fall River, MA. They have three children.

Bill was employed by the United States Postal Service from 1968 through his retirement in 2003. From 2012 to 2017, he worked for White Tie Limo in Falmouth, MA. Bill was a communicant of St. John the Evangelist in Pocasset, where he served as a lay minister. He was part of the church’s bingo ministry for over 35 years and was in charge of it for over 25 years. In this capacity, he raised well over $1 million dollars for the church’s activities. He was an active member of St. Vincent de Paul, a Third Degree Knight in the Knights of Columbus, and a Third Order Member of the Secular Franciscans. In 2016, he was awarded the Marian Medal by the Diocese of Fall River for his service to the church. His hobbies included stamp and coin collecting, debating, and teasing his children and grandchildren.

Bill leaves behind his beloved wife, Claire; his daughter Michele and her husband, Wayne, of Malden; his daughter, Beth, of North Andover; and his son, Bill, and his wife, Amy, of Fishers, IN. He also leaves his father, Arthur, of Westport; and his brothers Paul of Westport; Arthur and his wife Alida of Belleview, FL; Gene of East Providence, RI; and Ray of Fall River. He has six grandchildren, Ethan, Matthew, Isaac, Gabriella, Jacquelyn, and Daniel.

A visitation with the family will be held on October 30, 2017, from 4-8 PM at the Nickerson-Bourne Funeral Home in Bourne, MA. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10 AM on October 31, 2017 at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church in Pocasset followed with the burial at the Massachusetts National Cemetery in Bourne.

In lieu of flowers, please send memorial gifts in Bill’s memory to the St. Vincent de Paul Society at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church in Pocasset.