With profound sadness, we announce the death of William (Bill) Miles Lonergan Jr. on July 4th, 2026, at the age of 87. Bill passed away peacefully surrounded by his loving family after a brief but courageous battle with lymphoma.

Born in Malden, Bill was the beloved son of the late Barbara Ellen (Conroy) Lonergan-Brazil and William Miles Lonergan Sr. His father passed away when Bill was a child, and he was lovingly raised by his mother and his stepfather Walter Brazil. Although born in Malden, he was raised in Medford, the community he proudly called home throughout his life.

Bill attended Immaculate Conception as a young boy and graduated from Malden Catholic High School. He then briefly attended Boston College before answering a greater calling. Bill proudly served his country in the United States Marine Corps as a Corporal E-4, where he embraced the principles that he lived by for the rest of his life – honor, discipline, accountability, and service before self. After returning home, he began his career with the Massachusetts State Police, where he would, through hard work, perseverance, and a commitment to lifelong learning, rise through the ranks to Captain. While serving with the State Police, Bill earned a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from Northeastern University and a Master of Education from Boston University. He was also selected to attend and graduate from the prestigious 125th Session of the FBI National Academy, completing advanced training in police management and criminal investigation. Following his retirement from the State Police, Bill served as the Head of Corporate Security for Genetics Institute, and later founded his own private investigation company, Lighthouse Security, where he continued to put his experience, integrity, and dedication to service to work for his clients.

Bill had many professional and personal accomplishments over the years, but he would have told you that his greatest accomplishment was his family. He was a beloved husband, father, papa, and great-grandfather. Bill married the love of his life, Carol (Doherty) on November 11, 1961. Over the next nearly sixty-five years they built something extraordinary—not simply a marriage, but a partnership rooted in unwavering love, mutual respect, laughter, and shared purpose. Together, they created a home where family always came first. They raised four children – Beth, Patty, Terry, and Tim – and instilled the same values that guided Bill: honesty, kindness, hard work, and respect for others. As the years passed, Bill found his greatest happiness watching his and Carol’s family continue to grow. Bill proudly answered to the title ‘Papa’ for eleven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren, whom he adored and whose lives he enriched simply by being their Papa.

Although Bill and Carol built their lives in Medford, there was another place that held a special piece of Bill’s heart: Little Neck, in Ipswich, Massachusetts. To outsiders, it was a beautiful summer community by the water. To Bill, it was home. It was where he and Carol welcomed generations of family and friends, creating memories that would last long after the summers ended. It was where summers seemed to last forever, where children grew into adults, grandchildren learned to swim, neighbors became lifelong friends, and every sunset marked another perfect day spent with the people he loved most. For decades, Little Neck became the backdrop for countless family traditions: boat rides, cookouts, evenings on the deck, loud games around the kitchen table, and stories that somehow became funnier every time they were told. The memories created there became woven into the fabric of the Lonergan family.

He had a love for life that was contagious, and he had a way of making everyone he encountered feel special. Whether offering advice, lending a hand, sharing a story, or making someone laugh, Bill left every person he met feeling just a little better for having known him. Bill lived a full and remarkable life and will be remembered for his kind heart, generosity, love of learning, honesty, integrity, wicked sense of humor, and unending love for his family.

Bill will be lovingly remembered by his wife, Carol Lonergan (Doherty) of Medford; by his children, Beth and her husband Joseph Stanford of Reading, Patricia and her husband Paul Covelle of Medford, Theresa and her husband Christopher Hussey of Medford, Timothy and his wife Beth (Gray) Lonergan of Douglas; by his grandchildren Nicole (LoPilato) and her husband Joseph Grillo, Jessica (Stanford) and her husband Matthew Brennan, Paul and his wife Vanessa (LeBlanc) Covelle, Meghan Stanford, Samantha (LoPilato) and her husband Joseph Williams, Ryan Covelle and his partner Jackie Villane, Bridget Stanford, Jack Covelle and his partner Carla Pelino, Matthew Lonergan, Christopher Lonergan, Ethan Lonergan; by his great-grandchildren, Jack Brennan, Tucker Covelle, Quinn Brennan, Riley Williams; by his brother-in-law and sister-in-law Richard and Ann Doherty; by his cherished friends and extended family; and by the countless people whose lives he touched. He was predeceased by his parents, Barbara and William M. Lonergan Sr. and Walter Brazil; his brother Arthur Lonergan and his wife Virginia; his sister Dorothy Lonergan; and his sister-in-law and brother-in-law Gerry and Dr. Robert Mahoney.

Friends and relatives are kindly invited to visiting hours on Sunday, July 12th from 3 to 7 pm at the Gately Funeral Home, 79 West Foster St., Melrose, MA 02176. A Mass of Christian Burial will take place on Monday, July 13th at 10 am at St. Francis of Assisi, 441 Fellsway West, Medford, MA 02155. Interment will be at Oak Grove Cemetery in Medford.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Bill’s memory to the Salvation Army, whose mission of serving those in need reflected the values by which he lived. Donations may be made to the Salvation Army.