William "Bill" T. Groleau

William “Bill” T. Groleau, 96, of Salem, NH, passed away peacefully on August 13, 2022, of natural causes at The Residence at Salem Woods. William split most of his life between Salem, NH and Largo, FL. William was born January 21, 1926, in Andover, MA. He joined the Navy on March 1,1943 at age 17 and served during WWII as a Seaman First Class aboard the USS Albemarle (AV5) seaplane tender. He was honorably discharged on February 27, 1946. He is predeceased by his first wife, Lorraine Phelps, whom he married in 1950 and raised two children, Thomas and David. He married Shirley (Collier) Wallace in 1983. William worked as a machinist and learned his trade at Davis and Furber Mills in N. Andover MA. He worked at Avco Corporation and did work on the Apollo Space Program and went on to work for and retire from BAE Systems (formally Sanders Associates). During his retirement, he has many interests. He enjoyed spending time with his family which included 6 grandchildren, 11 great-grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews. He crisscrossed the United States several times by motorcycle, he traveled abroad and revisited many of the places his Navy ship visited during the war.

He loved his Honda Goldwing Motorcycle most of all. He was a member of Goldwing Road Riders Association (GWRRA A-NH), ROMEO’S (Retired Old Men Eating Out), and Retreads International Motorcycle Club. He had over 250,000 miles on his bike before his passing. He has made many GREAT friends in his motorcycle groups and will be deeply missed. William is predeceased by his wife Lorraine and their son, David. He is survived by his son, Thomas Groleau, of Danville, NH as well as his grandchildren, great grandchildren, and many other loving family members.

A private grave side service will be planned for a later date. Arrangements are by the Goundrey & Dewhirst Funeral Home, 42 Main Street Salem, NH. To leave an  online condolence, please visit Bill's tribute page at www.goundreydewhirstfuneral.com.

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