Father of Harvard resident, lawyer, loving grandfather
Bill Katter. (Courtesy photo)
William “Bill” Katter, 70, of Groton and formerly of Harvard, died unexpectedly on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2019, at his home.
The beloved husband of Martha “Marty” Berry Katter, he was born in Worcester on Oct. 4, 1949. He was the son of the late Anthony and Alice (Rahaim) Katter. Bill graduated from Worcester North High School in 1967, from Assumption College in 1971, and from Suffolk Law School in 1974.
Bill and Marty married on June 26, 1971, at the Congregational Church in Needham. Over the years they lived in many places, including Framingham, North Weymouth, Hanson, Milton, and finally Sudbury, where they raised their girls and lived for 21 years. After their daughters graduated from college, they relocated to Southborough, then to Harvard, and finally settled in Groton. There, they built an addition on a shared property with their daughter Meredith and her family and have lived there since, enjoying one another and watching their grandchildren grow.
Bill had a rewarding career, working for 21 happy years from 1976 to 1997 as in-house counsel at TAD Technical. From there he worked at various firms, including launching his own staffing firm, Radius, until landing at Manpower, where he remained until 2016 when he retired. Never really believing in “retirement,” he did not stop working, continuing to take on new business challenges as well as never-ending home improvement projects.
Family and friends were the center of his life. He loved spending time with his wife, daughters, and wonderful grandchildren. He took on building, fixing, and upkeep projects every day, ever ready for a challenge regardless of scope or proper preparation. He was always there to help, to lend a hand, or take charge to do whatever was needed.
Bill was a man of many faces, all of which seemed to be equally true versions of himself. He was a tender grandfather who would pretend to be a cat or read books to the children for hours on end. He was also the stoic, silent type at home, using his many tools and gadgets with varying degrees of success. He was a doting father who adored the strength and independence of his daughters, and he was the gregarious center of gravity at many a party or gathering, capable of a good joke or a soulful note, whatever the situation demanded.
Along with his wife, Bill is survived by his loving daughters, Dana Oliver and husband Charles of Harvard and Meredith Katter and husband Ryan Deery of Groton; and his grandchildren, Andrew and Matthew Oliver and Abigail and Mason Deery. He is also survived by his brother Anthony Katter, twin sisters Joyce Cooney and Judy Tedesco, cousin Rita Turo, and many other cousins, nieces, nephews, and friends.
Family and friends gathered to honor and remember Bill on Wednesday, Oct. 23. His funeral Mass was celebrated Thursday, Oct. 24, at St. Catherine of Alexandria Church, Westford. Burial in Forest Hills Cemetery was private.
Donations in his memory may be made to the Marcia R. Katter Memorial Fund c/o Greater Worcester Community Foundation, 370 Main St., #650, Worcester, MA 01608, www.greaterworcester.org.
