William F. Herlihy, affectionately known as Grandpa Bill, died peacefully September 19, 2008, surrounded by family members after a long illness.
Bill was born October 10, 1916, in Newton MA to Daniel and Katherine (Lucey) Herlihy. While at both Newton High School and Holy Cross College he competed as a member of the golf team. After graduating from Holy Cross in 1939, he received a Masters Degree in Economics from Harvard University in 1941.
During World War II, Bill served in the U.S. Army Intelligence from 1942 – 1946 earning the rank of Captain. He served at Fort Hunt in Washington, D.C., the Pacific Islands, and finally in Japan. Bill was sent to the USS Missouri to be part of the Japanese surrender. He was one of the first troops to enter Japan after the cease fire and helped release POWs. For meritorious service he received the Bronze Star.
Bill married the late Hope Sullivan in 1942 and lived in Arlington, MA. He was a pharmaceutical representative. In the early 50’s the family began summering in Oak Bluffs at the Campground home of Hope’s parents, Ed and Hope Sullivan. In later years the family home was on Carole Avenue near the Lagoon. On retiring in 1982 to Oak Bluffs he rediscovered his passion for the game of golf. He was a charter member of Farm Neck Golf Course on Martha’s Vineyard. He fondly remembered getting two holes-in-one during his many rounds of golf. Bill was a member of the Vineyard Haven American Legion where Hope and Bill enjoyed many pot luck dinners on Friday nights.
As an ardent fan of the New England sports teams, he followed their highs and lows. He felt blessed to finally see his Boston Red Sox win the World Series. A bridge aficionado he played with everyone from captured German officers to his grandchildren.
Bill and Hope traveled extensively during retirement until their hearts settled upon spending the winter months for 20 years with many friends in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. They played daily at the Punta Borinquen Golf Club and relished their afternoons spent at Crash Boat Beach.
Drop a golf tee from the Morro in the Port of San Juan as the tide goes out, it will float north with the Gulf Stream, pass a few miles off Martha’s Vineyard, and wash up on the shores of Ireland. Grandpa Bill’s life took him on that path, from island to island to island, and now he will be laid to rest on Monday by the sea with his beloved Hope at the Winthrop Cemetery in Winthrop MA.
Grandpa Bill is survived by sons, Michael Herlihy and his wife, Donna of Falmouth, MA, Dr. Edward Herlihy and his wife, Judith of Dartmouth, MA, and daughter, Patricia Auge and her husband, James of Houston, TX. He has eight grandchildren – Jeanine Therrien, Nicole McCarthy, Matthew Auge, Jennifer Herlihy Rakeman, Amy Herlihy, Jeffrey Herlihy, Andrew Herlihy and Daniel Herlihy. He has nine great-grandchildren – James Wagner, Jacob Therrien, Hope McCarthy, Madison McCarthy, Grace Rakeman, Faith Barrass, Mira Herlihy, Peter Herlihy, and Charles Herlihy.
His Funeral Mass will be at 9:00 AM on Monday, September 22 at St. Mary’s Church, South Dartmouth. Interment will follow at Winthrop Cemetery. Expressions of sympathy in his memory may be made to the Farm Neck Foundation (a community outreach program for Martha’s Vineyard), P O Box 1656, Oak Bluffs MA 02557. For online condolence book, please visit www.saundersdwyer.com.