William Kenneth Gilroy

William Kenneth Gilroy, 88, of Vernon, formerly of Manchester, loving husband of 14 years to Maresa (Hosler) Gilroy died peacefully on Tuesday, August 16, 2016, at Manchester Memorial Hospital. Bill was born on December 8, 1927, in Providence, RI, son of the late W. Kenneth Gilroy and Catherine (Henry) Gilroy. He was a graduate of Mt. Pleasant High School in Rhode Island and earned his Bachelor's Degree in Engineering from Brown University, Class of 1950. Bill was a proud veteran of WW II serving his country aboard the USS ATR-10 in the US Navy. He was employed for over 37 years with Pratt & Whitney Aircraft, retiring in 1989 as a Senior Test Engineer. Bill was an instrumental member of the teams that created the jet engine, the fuel cell, and the early designs of the geared turbo fan engine at Pratt & Whitney. He was a Charter member of Community Baptist Church in Manchester and had served on many church committees. He served for 25 years on the "Thursday Crew" at Camp Wightman. Bill was a longtime member of the Beethoven Chorus in Manchester. He had been a volunteer at Manchester Memorial Hospital where he worked in the Pharmacy Department for over 23 years. In addition to his wife Maresa, he is survived by his six children; David Gilroy and his wife Donna Baker-Gilroy of East Granby, Linda Gilroy Shaffer and her husband William Shaffer and their son, Will Shaffer of New Harbor, ME, Jon Gilroy and his wife Paula of Tucson, AZ, Beth Gilroy and her husband Robert Dawson and their daughters Kimberly and Emma Dawson of New Rochelle, NY, Ross Easton and his wife Charlotte of Harrison, ME, and Maresa Slater and her husband Kenneth Slater of Vernon. In addition to his parents Bill was predeceased by his first wife of 50 years, Virginia (Joyce) Gilroy. Bill's family would like to thank the staff at the DeQuattro Community Cancer Center, Manchester Memorial Hospital, and A Caring Hand of Vernon for their kind and compassionate care. A Memorial service with Military Honors will be celebrated on Friday, September 9, 2016, at 10:30 am at Community Baptist Church, 585 East Center St., Manchester. There are no calling hours. Holmes Funeral Home, Manchester has care of the arrangements. Memorial contributions may be made to Camp Wightman's Campership Fund at campwightman.org or to Community Baptist Church at cbcmanchester.org To leave an online condolence, please visit www.holmes-watkinsfuneralhomes.com



Service DetailsFriday, September 9th, 2016 10:30am, Community Baptist Church