William A. Moynihan, 77, long-time resident of Wellesley, passed away on June 9, 2016 after a courageous, year-long battle with leukemia. He leaves his beloved wife of forty-six years, Mildred Theresa (“Terry”) Moynihan (nee Riley). He is the son of Margaret (Noon) Moynihan and Andrew Joseph Moynihan (both deceased) and the brother of Larry Moynihan and his wife Joan (Gallagher) Moynihan (deceased) of Avon, Connecticut; Michael Moynihan (deceased) and his wife Patricia (Frizzell) Moynihan of Kernersville, North Carolina; Patricia (Moynihan) Buckley and her husband Michael Buckley of Mansfield, Massachusetts; Andrew Moynihan and his wife Mary Ellen (Kilgallon) Moynihan of Wrentham, Massachusetts; and James Moynihan and his wife Sheila Moynihan of Yorktown, Virginia.
He is survived by his three children and their families of whom he was so very proud, Michael Andrew Moynihan, his wife Kala (Klinger) Moynihan and their children, Katie and Andrew, of Chicago, Illinois; Timothy Patrick Moynihan, his wife Elizabeth Barber Moynihan and their children, Ella, William Riley, Clair, and Michael, of Greenwood Village, Colorado; and Beth (Moynihan) Renaud, her husband Richard Renaud and their children, Lucy and Emma, of Essex, Vermont. He was a cousin, uncle, and great-uncle to many and a devoted friend.
A highly regarded human resources executive, William started his career immediately after graduating from St. Anselm College in 1961 with a B.A. in Economics (minor, Philosophy). He worked as a Training Specialist for Stop & Shop, Inc, and then as a Benefits Manager for Honeywell, Inc. before being recruited into his first corporate executive role at Cramer Electronics, Inc. as the company’s Vice President of Human Resources. He loved his time at Cramer and always appreciated his mentors there who took him under their wings and helped him to hone his craft. He appreciated the freedom that he was given to instill his management philosophy within the business and the contributions that he was able to make to the company’s success. William held similar roles, but with increasingly greater responsibility, at some of the Boston area’s largest retail and service companies. These included Marshalls, Inc., Filene’s Basement, Inc., Pinkerton, Inc., and All-Season’s Services, Inc.
William led a rich life, which was focused on raising his three children and arming them with the skills to lead successful lives. He was a wonderful grandfather who took a great interest in the passions of his grandchildren and spent his retirement years visiting them around the country. He had a core group of lifelong friends who loved and supported each other through their life journeys. They always managed to carve out time for each other and shared common interests including tennis, poker, pool tournaments, and the ups and downs of Boston’s professional sports teams. He treasured spending time with Terry at their cabin in Maine near the White Mountains, skiing, hiking, and reading on the front porch. William was a staunch Catholic and a loyal parishioner for over 50 years at St. Paul’s Catholic Church in Wellesley.
Services for William will be held on Monday June 13, 2016 from 4:00–8:00 PM at George F. Doherty & Sons Funeral Home, 477 Washington Street, Wellesley MA 02482. His funeral will be held at St. Paul’s Catholic Church, 502 Washington Street, Wellesley MA 02482, on Tuesday June 14, 2016 at 10:00 AM. Burial services will be held at St. Mary’s Cemetery, 1 Wellesley Avenue, Needham Heights, MA 02494, immediately following the funeral. Friends and family are invited to join the Moynihan’s at a reception to be held at noon at the Wellesley Country Club, 300 Wellesley Ave, Wellesley MA 02481.
Donations in lieu of flowers may be sent in William’s name to The Epilepsy Foundation of New England, (888) 322-8209 or www.epilepsynewengland.org.