Obituary of William Machado

William A. Machado, a retired manager at the FAA, passed away after a long illness, on Monday morning, August 8, 2016. He was 72 years old. Bill was born in Somerville, the son of the late Arnold and Mary Machado. He grew up in East Cambridge and was a graduate of Cambridge Rindge and Latin. He enlisted in the Air Force after high school serving for 4 years during the Vietnam War. He spent much of his service as an Airman First Class with the 380th Field Maintenance Squadron at Plattsburgh Air Force Base, in Plattsburgh New York. While he was in the Air Force, he went on a blind date with Barbara Varney which led to a romance and a wedding in 1963. Following his military service, he accomplished his goal of acquiring his commercial pilots license. He then went to work at Eastern Airlines as a mechanic at Logan Airport. He had an analytical mind and tremendous work ethic and rose up the ranks at the airline. He eventually was asked to move to Miami to work as an assistant for a Vice President in charge of Eastern’ s Aircraft Maintenance Division. After his years with Eastern Airlines, he took on the position of Manager of Flights Standards for the FAA. He was based in their Burlington office, but traveled extensively during his 16 years with the FAA. After the tragic events of 9/11, he was a member of a 10 person TSA Task Force who worked with the Secretary of Transportation on how to protect the United States Airlines from terrorism. He retired in 2005 due to his declining health. Bill loved his family and his home. He shared 53 years married to his wife, Barbara. They traveled to Bermuda, Hawaii, all over the Caribbean. They both worked hard to help those with disabilities and volunteered as well as served on the Board of Directors of CMARC. He was always there for his children, whether it was lending a hand with the grandchildren, making repairs, overseeing their remodeling projects, making props for a play Darlene was working on, or just a friendly voice to listen to their stories, activities, and current interests. Bill took great pride in maintaining his home and yard. He taught Scott how to do the lawn maintenance and drive the rider mower. He enjoyed tinkering, puttering, and could fix almost anything. He was meticulous about his tools and workshop. He could make anything like his fishing cart that he crafted with all his fishing gear that he used for fishing on the beaches of Plum Island. He also enjoyed attending aircraft shows. He worked hard to be a good provider, husband, Dad, and Voo Voo. Bill was the beloved husband of Barbara A. (Varney) Machado. He was the loving father of Scott of Burlington and Darlene Block of Grafton. He was the beloved “Voo Voo” of Rachel Mae and Osher Block of Grafton. He was the son of the late Mary and Arnold Machado. He was the brother-in-law of Robert Dungan & Sharon Dungan of NC, Lee & Lorraine Clay of WV, the late Paula Dungan and the late Judy & Joseph Marzolini. He was the nephew of the late Fernando Machado and Gilda Machado of Yarmouth. Bill was also survived by numerous nieces and nephews. A Memorial Wake will be held at the Edward V. Sullivan Funeral Home, 43 Winn St., BURLINGTON (Exit 34 off Rt. 128, Woburn side) on Thursday, Aug. 11 from 6-8 p.m. A Memorial Services will be held at the Funeral Home on Friday, Aug. 12 at 11 a.m. Relatives & friends respectfully invited to attend. In lieu of flowers memorials in Bill’s name may be made to the National Kidney Foundation, 85 Astor Ave., Suite 2, Norwood, MA 02062 www.kidneyhealth.org