Obituary of William E McCafferty

William E. “Bill” McCafferty, a retired heavy equipment operator and a life long resident of Burlington, passed away on Thursday, February 22, 2018 surrounded by his loving family. He was 93 years old. Bill was born in the family home on Mountain Road in Burlington. He was one of four children born to William and Mary McCafferty and grew up working on the family farm. As a Veteran of World War II, serving his country in the United States Army, Bill was the recipient of the World War II Victory Medal and the American Campaign Medal. After the service, Bill went to work in the construction industry where he was a heavy equipment operator for over 50 years - most of those years were spent working with Whit Builders in Woburn and Winchester. Bill was a skilled operator and could run virtually any kind of construction equipment from bulldozers and excavators, to cranes and graders. He excavated foundations and drainage systems and performed site preparation for many commercial and residential buildings. He took a 5-year hiatus from the construction industry to become a tugboat Captain in Boston Harbor. One stormy fall day, he was towing a barge and the steering cable broke causing the barge to overtake the tug and force it upon the rocks of Little Calf Island. They had to abandon ship and were rescued by a Coast Guard helicopter. Soon after, he returned to dry land and operating heavy equipment, but he always said he loved the excitement that came from the danger associated with operating the 65 foot Tug. Bill enjoyed good health nearly his entire life. As an avid skier, he skied all over New England with family and friends and even got to an opportunity to ski the Austrian Alps. He was an active member of the Otter Ski Club in North Conway. Later, he shared his love of skiing as a ski instructor at the Nashoba Ski Resort. He skied regularly until the age of 84 and took his last ski run at the age of 89. When he wasn’t skiing or working, he was at the gym, usually 5 times a week, most recently at Planet Fitness in Burlington. Bill loved anything with an engine. He spent time on weekends boating with family and riding dirt bikes. But most weekends, he could be found working in the yard on cars and trucks. When his children became Seniors in high school, he would work with them to restore a car to be used as their first car. Whether a car needed a rebuilt engine, frame welding, bodywork or exterior painting, he could do it all. He was extremely clever when it came to getting things done, like using an oak tree and a chain fall to install his engines. His last restoration was an antique truck which he completed with his son Tom and daughter Kath at the age of 89 and proudly displayed at Burlington’s Truck Day. Bill never slowed down. He was roofing his home in his late 80’s and cutting down trees in his early 90’s. He had eluded death and misfortune countless times during his lifetime and was grateful for his long and full life with his loving wife and family. Bill will be remembered as a man who worked hard, was a great provider to his family, and who lived life to the fullest right up to his passing. Bill was the beloved husband of 65 years to Cecilia L. (DeAntonis). He was the loving father of Kath McCafferty of Bedford, Bill McCafferty of Reading, Tim McCafferty of Groveland, Tom McCafferty of Derry, NH and Bob McCafferty of Stoneham. He was the father-in-law of Judie, Gina, Nancy and Terry McCafferty. He was the proud grandfather of Rachel Sargent and Alison, Brett, Shane, Connor, Christina and Nicholas McCafferty. He was the brother of Grace Toomey of VA and the late Edward McCafferty and Elizabeth Benullo. Funeral Services will be held at the Edward V. Sullivan Funeral Home, 43 Winn St., BURLINGTON (Exit 34 off Rt. 128/95 Woburn side) on Saturday, March 3 at 11 a.m. Burial to follow in Pine Haven Cemetery, Burlington. Visiting hours will be held on Friday from 4-8 p.m. Memorials in Bill’s name may be made to the American Diabetes Association, 10 Speen St., 2nd Floor, Framingham, MA 01701.