Obituary of William J. "Bill" Birmingham

William J. “Bill” Birmingham, 70, husband of Janet M. (Lawrence) Birmingham with whom he shared 47 years of marriage, died Sunday July 16, 2006 in Salem Hospital after a lengthy illness. Mr. Birmingham was born on November 2, 1935 in Peabody son of the late John L. and Helen (Pothier) Birmingham. He was raised in Peabody and graduated from Peabody High School Class of 1954. Bill was treasurer of his class and has Captain of the Peabody Track Team he held the ¼ mile record until the late 70’s. He then pursued his education and received an Associates Degree from Stockbridge U Mass Amherst where he studied to become an arborist. Mr. Birmingham began his working career with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts tree and bridge departments. In 1970, he became a maintenance mechanic at the Peabody Housing Authority, as position he held until his retirement in 1998. As an accomplished athlete Bill also ran the Boston Marathon, enjoyed fly-fishing, hunting, mountain climbing and canoeing. As hobbies, he love bird watching, reading and was an avid Red Sox enthusiast. Bill lived for his family and his grandchildren whom he adored. In addition to his wife, he is survived by 3 sons and 2 daughters-in-law, William J. Jr., and Anna Birmingham, David J. Birmingham all of Peabody, Daniel L. and Rosemary Birmingham of Danvers; 3 daughters and their husbands, Kathleen M. and Daniel Riley of Randolph VT, Laurie A. and John Bonfanti, Maureen M. and David LaChance all of Peabody; 2 sisters, Helen M. Sellers and her husband James of Andover and Mary C. Morris of Eustis ME; a sister-in-law, Eleanore V. Birmingham of Naples FL, 11 grandchildren, Anthony, Jada, Jackie, Amanda, Daniel Jr., Erin, Matthew, Derek, Leah, Jennifer and Joseph, also many nieces and nephews. His brother John L. “Jack” Birmingham predeceased him. His funeral will be held Wednesday at 10 a.m. from the Conway, Cahill-Brodeur Funeral Home, 20 Church St., (downtown location) Peabody followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 11 a.m. in St. John the Baptist Church, 16 Church St., Peabody. Relatives and friends are respectfully invited. Visiting hours Tuesday 4 to 8 p.m. Cremation will follow services. Memorial contributions may be made in his memory to the U.S. Headquarters World Wildlife Fund, 1250 Twenty Four St. NW, P.O. Box 97180, Washington DC 20090-7180.