William Patrick Menza

William “Bill” P. Menza, of Long Boat Key, FL and formerly of Milford, NH died on July 21, 2015 surrounded by family in Sarasota, Florida. He was 74 years old. Mr. Menza was born in Everett, Massachusetts to William and Loise (Norton) Menza. He earned degrees in sociology and journalism from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and the University of Maryland. Before college he served in the U.S. Navy aboard the USS Thor, homeported at Portsmouth, NH. On October 23, 1973 he married Alicia Fonseca in Rockville, MD. He was a federal government employee for over 36 years and spent most of his career with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. He also worked for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Social Security Administration, and the Centers for Disease Control. He was a devoted student of Buddhism and was ordained a member of the Order of Interbeing, a social group established by the Monk Thich Nhat Hanh. He helped start and supported meditation groups in Milford, NH, Bethesda, MD and Oakton, VA. He mentored many Buddhist students. In his spare time he volunteered with multiple organizations to abolish the death penalty and free prisoners of conscience, wrote poetry and researched genealogy. An anthology of his poems, Dharma Rain Brings Flowers, will be published by The Whole Salamander: Athena Books of Fairview in 2015. He is survived by his wife of forty-one years, Alicia Menza; son Charles W. Menza (Alissa) of Silver Spring, MD; brother James Menza (Lee) of Everett, MA, two sisters Sister Joan Naomi Menza of Boston and Pamela Veysey (John) of Pepperell, MA, brother-in-law John Henderson of Pepperell, MA, sister-in-law Julita (Hernandez) Menza of Plaistow, NH; grandson Oliver Menza of Silver Spring, MD; and many nieces, nephews and cousins. He is preceded in death by his parents, brother Nicholas Menza, sister Louise Henderson, and twin brother Charles Menza. Memorial service by the Salvatore Rocco & Sons Funeral Home, 331 Main Street, Everett, MA on August 8, 2015 (time TBD). A second memorial service will occur at the Florida Community of Mindfulness Center in Tampa Bay, FL on August 22 at 11 a.m. His remains will be buried at the Holy Cross Cemetery in Malden, MA. In lieu of flowers, he asked that memorial contributions be given to Amnesty International, Virginians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, Human Rights Watch, the Center for Constitutional Rights or the Florida Community of Mindfulness.