William J. Pires

William Pires, Sr. 100, of New Bedford, MA passed away peacefully at the VA Hospital in Brockton, MA on Sunday, January 15, 2023. He was born on January 6, 1923 in New Bedford, MA where he lived the majority of his life. He was a graduate of New Bedford High School.

William was a decorated WW II Navy veteran of six years, serving as a Crash Boat crew- member in Key West, FL then went on to make numerous convoy crossings of the Atlantic to supply our troops in Europe. After his Navy discharge, he went on to work with the U.S. Army Corp. of Engineers (USACE) as a Marine Traffic Controller on the Cape Cod Canal. He later moved into a Marine Construction Inspector role, overseeing many dredging projects across New England, and even participated in operations that ultimately built the New Bedford Harbor Hurricane Barrier. During his 20 plus year, USACE career, he also was a member of the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve, where he achieved the rank of Lieutenant Commander. Upon his retirement from USACE, he worked for Borg-Warner Corp. in New Bedford as a Tooling Set-Up Technician.

William is survived by his wife of 74 years, Estelle O. (Valles). They traveled extensively to Europe, Bermuda, and Cape Verde. He is also survived by his sister Arline Barros and her husband Melvin of CA, and his brother Donald of FL. He was preceded in death by his parents Julius and Louise, in addition to his brothers Malcolm, Julius Jr., Charles, Roger, and his sister Bertha. He is also survived by a daughter Darlene, her husband William Cline, as well as sons Bradford, his wife Jacquelyn, Ronald, his wife Charlene, and William Jr., and his fiancé' Suzanne Hammarquist. He is also survived by grandchildren Sondra, Alyson, Jennifer, Justin, Jessica, William James, Abigail, Joseph; 7 great-grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews.

Burial ceremony at the Massachusetts national Cemetery will be private.