William "Bill" J. MacKenzie

MARBLEHEAD – William James MacKenzie, 73, a longtime resident of Marblehead, passed away unexpectedly on Sunday, November 29, 2020. Bill was the beloved husband of Jean (Martin) MacKenzie with whom he celebrated 50 years of marriage in May by a grand Marblehead “pandemic parade.”

Born in Peabody and raised in Beverly, Bill was the son of the late Roger and Elizabeth (Andrews) MacKenzie. He graduated from Beverly Trade High School with the class of 1965. He was a veteran of the US Navy Construction Battalion “Sea Bee’s” and served two tours in Vietnam. In his off duty hours, while stationed in Vietnam, he volunteered to assist in building schools there. Bill was a self-employed and well respected general contractor on the North Shore and served as a mentor to several of his colleagues in the construction trade.

He was known as a hard worker and instilled this value in his children and grandchildren. Bill was an active member and past commander of the Marblehead VFW, Post 2005. He enjoyed many trips to Disney with his children and grandsons and many cruises with his wife and good friends. His greatest joy was spending time with his grandsons, enjoying all of their sporting events and cheering them on.

William was the loving father of Leanne Story, William MacKenzie and his wife, Katherine and Heather Homan and her husband, Richard, all of Marblehead; the cherished grandfather of eight grandsons, Craig, Tyler, Cole, Jackson and Carson Story and Liam, James and Shane MacKenzie; and the dear brother of George and Richard Frost, John MacKenzie, Cookie Webber, Betty Doane, Marilyn Jo O’Brien, Mel Frazier, Jan Devitts, Merri Fraser and the late Alice Frost and Thomas, Don and Roger MacKenzie. He also leaves close friend, Joseph Vaccaro and many nieces and nephews.

Visiting Hours will be held on Thursday, December 3rd from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Eustis & Cornell of Marblehead, 142 Elm Street. Appropriate social distancing protocols will be in effect. A private graveside service in Waterside Cemetery with military honors will take place on Sunday, December 13th at 11:00 a.m. In lieu of flowers memorial donations in William’s memory may be made to St. Jude St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105 or via stjude.org or to the Children’s Tumor Foundation, Mail Code: 6895, P.O. Box 7247, Philadelphia, PA 19170 – 0001 or via ctf.org. To share a memory or offer online condolences please visit eustisandcornellfuneralhome.com.