William Nicholas Ventura, Sr., fortified by the sacraments of the Church and surrounded by his loving and devoted children and grandchildren, died peacefully on Saturday, November 15. 2025, after a lengthy illness. He was 80 years old.
William, or “Bill” to his friends and “Papa” to his favorite people, was born December 9, 1944 to William S. Ventura and Josephine (Mastrangelo) Ventura in Boston, Massachusetts. He was raised in a cold-water flat in Boston’s North End before moving to East Boston in his early teens. A proud graduate of Christopher Columbus High School, he spent his teenage years working hard and hanging around Engine 40 in East Boston, where the firefighters became more than extended family to him, setting him on a path to becoming a Boston Firefighter, joining the department in 1969.
In 1976, Bill married Susan, his love and partner in crime, and shortly after welcomed two sons, William Jr. and Anthony. In 1981, after recovering from a massive heart attack, he retired from the fire department and never missed a moment caring for his wife and children. After moving to NH in 1984, a decision Bill always said was among the best he ever made, he settled in Derry, NH. After Sue’s unexpected passing in 1999, he remained in the family home until his own death.
In 1988, Bill went to work part-time for Concord Trailways, and eventually Boston Express, bus line. For 22 years he was the sole agent at the Exit 4 bus stop, selling tickets first from a box truck, then a small building resembling “Snoopy’s doghouse,” until in 2007 a multimillion-dollar station was built. Beloved by drivers and commuters, Bill retired for the last time in 2010.
Not a man to sit still, Bill devoted himself to helping raise his 4 grandchildren. They were his whole world, and he loved them more than he could express- commenting more than once that if he had known how much would love his grandchildren, he would have skipped having children and just had grandchildren instead. The only light in his life that shined as bright as his love for his grandchildren was the love he had for his daughter-in-law, Felicia. She was the daughter he never had and always had a most special place in his life and heart.
Bill is survived by so many family members and friends; his sons, William Jr. and Anthony, William’s wife Felicia, as well as 4 extraordinary grandchildren, Anthony Joseph and his fiancé Taylor Bieren, Isabella Susan and her boyfriend Julien Torres, Nicholas William and his girlfriend Kayla Adams, and Vincent Dominic. Among his many friends, those especially important to Bill’s life were his closest and oldest friend Joseph Paulanthony and his wife Joan of Quincy, MA, and Maureen James of Greenwood, Delaware- a cousin he loved like a sister.
Bill loved nothing better than being surrounded by his family, and they miss him terribly.
Calling hours will be held on Wednesday, November 19, 2025 from 4 – 7pm in the Peabody Funeral Homes and Crematorium, 15 Birch Street, Derry. A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated on Thursday, November 20th at 10:00am in St. Hedwig Parish, corner of Beech St. and Orange St, Manchester. Burial will follow in St. Hedwig Cemetery, 71 Old Bedford Rd, Bedford, NH.