Funeral of Chelmsford WWII Vet in Acton This Weekend

William J. Gately, Sr., died peacefully on October 26, 2013, near his home in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. He was 84.

Born in Cambridge, Massachusetts on July 26, 1929, to William Edson and Marion Rose (nee Davis), his whole life Mr. Gately remained close to his two sisters, Mildred and Marion, both deceased, and his surviving brother, Paul, of Hopedale, Massachusetts.

After graduating from Malden Catholic High School, he served overseas in the United States Army during the Korean War as a Crypt Specialist, Private First Class in the 4th Signal Battalion. He was honorably discharged in 1953 and transferred to the United States Army Reserve. For his service, Mr. Gately was bestowed the Korean Service Medal, United Nations Service Medal, and Meritorious Unit Commendation. In 1957, Mr. Gately received his bachelor’s degree in accounting from Boston College.

Mr. Gately was first and foremost a devoted husband, father, and grandfather. In 1960, he married the late Dorothy Cecilia (nee Perachi) and together they had six children: Elizabeth Ellen Gately, deceased, William Gately (and wife Mary) of Alexandria, Virginia, Stephen Gately (and wife Lisa) of Washington, D.C., David Gately (and wife Caroline) of Washington, D.C., Lauren DeVincent (and husband Michael Piccirillo) of Chelmsford, Massachusetts, and Scott Gately (and wife Jill) of Salem, Massachusetts. He will be remembered as Grandpa by his 14 
grandchildren: Cody, Cameron, Brooke, Lili, William, Rylie, Elizabeth, Aidan, Matthew, Skyler, Stefan, Julianna, Charlotte, and Cooper.



A resident of Acton, Massachusetts where he raised his family, Mr. Gately was an active community leader, serving as Chairman of the Acton Democratic Town Committee, Vice-Chairman of the St. Elizabeth of Hungary Parish Council, Co-Founder of the Acton Community Chest, and Treasurer and member of the Board of Directors of The Community School.

For 35 years he worked at Raytheon Company, retiring in 1992 as business  manager for the Software Systems Laboratory. He moved to Bonita Springs, Florida with Dorothy and enjoyed traveling after his retirement.

Mr. Gately loved and was loved by his many nieces and nephews. He will be missed dearly by close friends in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, where he lived happily the last 15 years of his life.

Family and friends may call on November, Nov 1st 4:00-8:00pm at the Acton Funeral Home, 470 Massachusetts Ave (Rte 111) Acton. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Saturday, November 2nd at 10:00am in St. Ellizabeth of Hungary Church, 89 Arlington Street, Acton, with burial following in Woodlawn Cemetery, Concord Road, Acton Center. 

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Mr. Gately's 
name to the Catholic Hospice at the following link: 
http://www.catholichealthservices.org/catholic-hospice/catholic-health-services.aspx?nd=403  To mail contributions, please use the following address: 
Catholic Hospice, 14875 77th Avenue, Suite 100, Miami Lakes, FL 33014.

For Mr. Gately's memorial page and directions, please visit www.actonfuneralhome.com