WEBSTER - William "Walking Bill" Philip Corrigan, died January 20, 2016 after a period of declining health at the Webster Manor Nursing Home in Webster, MA., where he had resided for the past six years. He was 88 years old. He is survived by his devoted wife of 62 years, Alice (Correira) Corrigan. They were married on the fourth of July in 1953. He is predeceased by his son, his oldest child, William Patrick Corrigan, who passed away in January of 2014. He has three loving daughters, Lisa Dill of Manchester, NH, Kathy Edson and her husband Michael of Ashland, MA and Lorie Masiello and her husband Joel of Webster, MA. William was a proud grandfather to seven grandchildren Deidre (Dill) Stevens, Ryan and Joshua Dill, Aimee (Corrigan) Norigian, Brandon, Jordan and Alyssa Edson. He also has six great grandchildren and several nieces and nephews.
William was born in Boston, Massachusetts on Dec. 20, 1927. The son of William H. Corrigan and Martha (Surphlis) Corrigan. He is predeceased by his sister Martha (Corrigan) Bargard.
William enlisted in the Seabee's as a teenager from 1944 to 1946 and then enlisted in the U.S. Navy to serve from 1947 to 1951. He served in World War 2 and then again in the Korean War. His last unit of assignment was on the USS Dixie out of San Diego, California. After his service to his Country was over, William began residing in Attleboro, Massachusetts, where he met Alice. After their marriage in 1953, they started their life together in Attleboro, raising their 4 children there. William began a career with the City of Attleboro in 1955, working for the school system in maintenance and as a custodian at Attleboro High School and Brennan Middle School where he was the head of that department for many years and was affectionately known as "Batman" because of a car that he owned that looked remarkably like the Bat Mobile. Many of the students remember William because of his crazy sense of humor. He loved to laugh and make people laugh. He was a hard and dedicated worker. He retired in 1991.
William was "the fun parent" to his children. He took them to Rocky Point or Jolly Cholly's to go on the amusement park rides. He brought them to Capron Park to skate on the duck pond and see the animals. He brought his family to Onset Beach throughout every summer and taught all his children to swim there. He took them bowling and danced with them at parties and weddings. He packed them all into the back of his station wagon in their pajamas and brought them to the drive-in movie. He wasn't a wealthy man but he spent his hard earned money on things that made his family happy and things they could do together.
William also became an avid race walker in his 40's and thus earned the nickname "Walking Bill". He walked for hours every day outside or in the Emerald Square Mall when the weather was bad. To this day, residents of Attleboro, still recall seeing him walking all over the town.
Besides his work and his family, there was one other aspect of his life that he was very proud of. William was a member of Alcoholic's Anonymous and had been sober for over 57 years. His addiction being a result of his misguided youth, he was able to gain control over it and impressively, had remained sober since attending his very first AA meeting, never slipping once. He was a mentor and sponsor to numerous young men and woman, and through the years, was responsible for helping to change countless lives.
William followed held his faith in the Church of the Nazarene and had a very close relationship with his Creator. A large bible was always at his bedside and for many years, he read from it daily. He loved poetry and would often recite, even long poems, verbatim. His favorite thou, being the Serenity Prayer, that he lived by daily. He was loved by many and will be missed dearly. A private family service will be held. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Webster Manor, Activities Department, 745 School Street, Webster, MA 01570.