William D Parretti

William D. Parretti, 83, a lifelong resident of Worcester, passed away Friday, May 1^st 2020.

Bill was born in Worcester, one of five sons of Nicholas and Mary (DiLeo) Parretti. Raised on Fales street,   he graduated from the High School of Commerce and earned a certificate from the WPI school of Industrial Management. After raising his children, he returned to Fales street to live close to his brothers and the church. Bill grew through the ranks at Norton Company where he worked for more almost 30 years before retiring as plant supervisor. After retiring from Norton Company, he worked as an insurance agent with Atchue Insurance for many years and finished out his career working at International Ceramic Engineering, where he retired in 2016. During the early 1960’s, Bill served in the Massachusetts Army National guard 1^st BN 181^st Infantry.

Bill’s wife Janice A. (Borglund) Parretti passed away in 2012. He was also predeceased by his daughter Shirley A. Parretti in 2019. He is survived by his two sons, William Parretti and his wife Sherilynne of Worcester, and Robert Parretti of Worcester. Two brothers, Robert Parretti of Worcester, and Richard Parretti of Holden; eight grandchildren whom he was very proud of, Andrea, Angela, John, Sean, Tony, Jared, Zach and Veronica; seven great grandchildren, Destiny, Johnelle, Alysha, Dwayne, Ava, Jhonen, Damon; Many nieces, nephews, extended family and friends. His two brothers, Vincent and Lawrence Parretti also predeceased him.

Bill was an active member of Our Lady of the Rosary Church and always made decisions with his faith in mind. He loved his family more than anything and spent countless hours teaching his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren about faith, sports, life, the “pendulum swing” of society and politics and, most importantly, the complete and unabridged history of Norton Company according to Bill. An avid golfer, he enjoyed golfing on several area courses with his brothers, sons and friends, even once recording the elusive hole in one. He also enjoyed trips with family to casinos, especially with his sons. He was always ready to greet everyone who walked into his house with food, drinks, smiles and Fox News turned up just a little bit too high. In his younger years, he was very active in coaching his and the neighborhood kids in sports of all kind, with the proud memory of coaching the East Side Babe Ruth team as the 1961 State Champions. His most special accomplishment and life’s goal was taking care of his family and making sure that everyone was well taken care of. Nothing was more important to him in his life than his family. 

Due to the coronavirus outbreak, there are no calling hours. His funeral will be celebrated Wednesday, May 6^th at 11:00 am in Our Lady of Rosary Church, next-door to his home at 15 Fales Street. Due to circumstances, entry to the church services are limited, but to be a part of the mass, you can watch a live stream feed by going to www.mercadantefuneral.com (click on live services at top of page). Burial with his wife Janice will follow in St. John’s Cemetery. For close friends and extended family that would like to join, the live stream will be broadcast outdoors at 15 Fales Street. Attendees should gather at 10:30, with a procession to the burial site to follow the mass. Masks and adherence to social distancing guidelines will be required if you plan to attend in person.