William Tvelia

William (Bill) Tvelia of Weymouth passed away on January 29, 2026, at the age of 77, after a long and complicated journey with interstitial lung disease. He died exactly as he lived - peaceful, curious, grateful, and oh so loved.

Bill was born in Queens, NY, on July 31, 1948. As young children, he and his older brother Frank spent summers with their grandparents and cousins upstate at Somerset Lake. When Bill was 6, his mother met and married a charming local, and they all moved to the tiny hamlet of Hale Eddy (Population 89), where Bob and Geraldine raised the boys and their three sisters, who came along a few years later.

He and his siblings spent their days hiking through the woods, riding bikes down the dusty road, and trying (mostly in vain) to rescue the runaway basketballs that inevitably bounced down the hill toward the river, and, they imagined, float all the way to Philadelphia. They had their occasional disagreements, but they shared a close bond with each other and a love of the land - the steady comfort of the river, the railroad tracks just beyond it, and long afternoons spent swimming, fishing, and climbing the rusty beams of the old truss bridge until the dinner bell called them home.

Bill graduated from Deposit Central High School in 1966, where his warm nature and gift for conversation brought him success in the debate club and student government. He spent his summers working at Scott’s Oquaga Lake House in Deposit, hauling luggage, setting bowling pins, and collecting friends along the way. Even the famously grumpy chef, who hated everyone else, couldn’t help but like Bill.

After high school, Bill attended the State University of New York at New Paltz, earning his Bachelor’s degree in Theater Arts in 1970 and stealing the show in more than a few productions. Shortly after graduation, he was drafted into the Army, though he never made it to Vietnam - operations were winding down by the time he finished boot camp. Instead, he was stationed in Germany, where he learned to drive a tank and was able to explore Europe. His parents and sisters were living in Belgium at that time, and he was grateful for the chance to visit them while he was overseas.

Bill’s gift for creating a warm, welcoming atmosphere made him a natural in restaurant management. In 1975, while managing a Red Coach Grille, he met his first wife, Janice. He was a steady presence for her and her two young children, Lynne and Brian, and recreated the happy blended family of his youth when he and Janice welcomed their daughter Kate. The five of them bounced around New York and Connecticut, as Bill advanced his career, finally settling in Milford, MA, in 1980 when he became a regional manager for Chuck E. Cheese and helped open several locations in New England. All three kids took a special interest in that particular job, and he happily allowed them to skip school and tag along. Though the older two were teenagers by that time and put to work wearing the mouse costume in exchange for their game tokens and pizza.

In 1990, Bill took an interest in human services, and while working at Long Island Shelter in Boston met a social worker named Mary, who would become the great love of his life. In 1991, Bill and Kate moved to the house in Weymouth, where he would live for the rest of his life. He and Mary were married on the porch of his childhood home in Hale Eddy, surrounded by family and officiated by his father. Blending a family full of surly and disinterested adolescents would be a daunting task for most people, but Bill and Mary used their compassion, patience, and humor to bring everyone together. They complemented each other perfectly, Bill’s adventurous spirit inspiring Mary to travel for the first time in her life. Together they vacationed in Ireland, the Grand Canyon, and Washington DC, and visited their grandchildren in Florida, and family in Maine and New York.

Bill’s practical, analytical mind found its perfect outlet when he discovered computer programming in his 40s. He went on to finish his career writing code for State Street Bank, where he not only solved problems but built lasting friendships through the projects he loved. Even after retiring in 2016, he stayed closely connected to those friends while caring for Mary during the final years of her life.

Of all the roles Bill embraced in his life, the one he cherished most was being “Grampy.” Nanny and Grampy’s house was a true haven for his grandchildren - from the days when they were tiny babies sleeping on his chest, to toddler years spent riding on his shoulders, and the young‑adult era of Patriots games, political debates, and airport runs in “Grampy’s Taxi.” He appreciated their unique personalities and knew exactly how to make each of them laugh.

Bill’s body failed long before his mind and spirit. In the final year of his life, he wasn’t able to leave home often. Where many might have grown resentful at being tethered to oxygen, Bill remained cheerful and deeply grateful, learning to accept help, looking forward to extra visits from his children and grandchildren and siblings, and weekly pop-ins from Molly and Jose to put out the trash barrels. We all felt fortunate to share that time with him - to fetch him cookies and cheap red wine, chat about what was happening in our lives and on the news, and tried to care for him even half as well as he cared for us.

Bill was predeceased by his father, Frank Tvelia, his parents, Geraldine and Robert Davidson; his beloved wife, Mary McDonough Tvelia; his daughter, Robin Legere; and his grandson, Ryan Tvelia.

He is survived by his children, Kate Athearn (Brian) of West Tisbury, Dawn Faria of Marshfield, Greg Legere (Kim) of Dudley, Lynne Costigan (Tom Nevue) of Whitinsville, and Brian Tvelia (Linda Phaneuf) of Woonsocket, RI; grandchildren Hunter and Emmett Athearn, Brendan and Caroline Faria, Nolan and Adam Legere, Matthew Conley, Brian, Chloe, Joshua, and Alexandria Dunton, Brian Tvelia Jr, and Kevin Costigan; siblings, Frank Tvelia (Karen) of Kingston, NY, Elizabeth Davidson (Lenny Piorkowski) of Hale Eddy, NY, Margaret Davidson of Rochester, NY, and Georgia Davidson (Gerry Mullany) of Brooklyn, NY, brother-in-law and dear friend, Mickey McDonough of Billerica, numerous nieces and nephews, and many friends and neighbors.

He is missed most of all by his best friend Rosie the faithful Plot Hound, with whom he shared many lovely walks, quiet evenings, and sausage egg and cheese sandwiches from Dunkin Donuts.

Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to greet the family during the visiting hours on Friday, February 6, 2026 from 4-8 PM in the McDonald Keohane Funeral Home NORTH WEYMOUTH at 40 Sea Street (off Route 3A - Bicknell Square). Funeral service will be celebrated on Saturday, February 7, 2026 at 11 AM in McDonald Keohane Funeral Home NORTH WEYMOUTH at 40 Sea St. (off Rt. 3A-Bicknell Sq.), Weymouth. Cremation will follow.