William J. Giarrusso of Hingham died on July 5, 2016, at the age of 82.
Son of the late Eleanor and Pasquale Giarrusso of Revere, Bill was a 1951 graduate of Revere High School, where he was a three-sport letter winner in football, hockey, and baseball, and senior captain. He then graduated from Storm King School in 1953. He attended the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, where he played football and was a member of the Kappa Sigma fraternity before enlisting in the United States Army during the Korean War.
Bill was the longtime owner and operator of the Bowl & Board, the home furnishings stores he founded in 1966 and originally located in Hingham, Harvard Square, and Martha’s Vineyard. Prior to the Bowl and Board, he owned and operated the Dairy Queen in Quincy as well as the adjacent Chuck Wagon restaurant serving the then-bustling Fore River Shipyard. Bill was extremely dedicated to the town of Hingham, giving generously of his time and money. He helped form the Hingham Merchant’s Association, and was on the committee that founded Hingham’s annual Christmas in the Square. He was the founder and former president of the Hingham Lacrosse Boosters Association, and member of the Hingham Hockey Boosters. He was a Hingham youth hockey, youth football, and youth baseball coach for decades.
Bill remained a passionate athlete throughout his life, participating year-round in activities with his numerous friends. He was a member of the Hingham Harbor sunfish sailing club, played Hingham adult softball, was an excellent downhill and cross-country skier, and played hockey well into his mid-60s. An avid biker, he was one of the original founders of the Hingham bike club that still meets for early-morning rides each weekend morning. He and his “bike crew” logged over 20 bike trips between 1983 and 2002 throughout the U.S. and the world, averaging 700 to 900 miles a week. The camaraderie and challenges experienced during these trips were a highlight of his life! He was a great teammate of many; family, however, always came first.
He is survived by his wife Patricia Brice Giarrusso, who stood by his side as his dedicated caregiver during a lengthy 15-year battle with Parkinson’s disease. He is also survived by his older brother Vincent Giarrusso and wife Janet of Marblehead, and former wife Suzanne FitzGerald of Bar Harbor, Maine.
He raised seven kids in Hingham. He is survived by his son Roy and his wife Kristen of Hingham, Julie Veilleux and her husband Greg of Bar Harbor, Maine, Mark of Hingham, Maria Metters of Vineyard Haven, Tom of San Francisco, Calif., Dave and his wife Suzanne of Verona, N.J., and Brandi Pollock and her husband Tim of Los Angeles, Calif. He is also survived by 14 grandchildren, of whom he was extremely proud.
He was most recently a resident of Sunrise Assisted Living in Cohasset, where he received the loving care that he needed. His family would like to thank the staff of Sunrise for the love that they continuously showed Bill.
A celebration of life service was held in the Pyne Keohane Funeral Home, 21 Emerald Street (off Central Street), Hingham, prior to the funeral Mass in St. Paul’s Church. Burial took place in Mount Wollaston Cemetery, Quincy.
Donations may be made to the New England Parkinson’s Ride, P.O. Box 1124, Merrimack, NH 03054, or neparkinsonsride.com; please reference Team “ParkinSONS AND DAUGHTERS OF BILL GIARRUSSO.”
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