William was raised and educated in southern Ohio and moved to the greater Boston area in 1968. He enrolled in the New England Institute of Applied Arts and Sciences, graduating and becoming a licensed funeral director and embalmer in 1971.
After working in the management of a large funeral home in Boston, William decided to establish his own business in Sudbury, Massachusetts, which he operated for 20 years. In 1992 he joined the Waring Family group of funeral homes in Boston and Wellesley. He continued as managing director of the Duckett Funeral Home of J.S. Waterman in Sudbury as well as the MetroWest Funeral and Cremation Service Wadsworth-Chiappini in Framingham.
Active in his community, William lives in Sudbury with his wife and is the father of 9 adult children and has 16 grandchildren.