GUENON – William A., Jr “Mr. Bill”, age 83 of Ashland MA, passed away on Thursday July 13, 2023, unexpectedly.

Beloved husband of the late Ursula (Klein). Devoted father of William A. Guenon, III and his wife Lauren of Holliston and Lisa Saindon and her husband Glen of Beverly. Dedicated son of the late Dr. William A. Guenon and the late Dorothy (Welsh) Guenon.Loving brother of Jacquard Guenon and the late Anne (Taylor) of California. Cherished grandfather of Dylan, Deven, and Violet. Dear uncle of Eleanore and Grace Guenon both of California. Also survived by many caring extended family and friends.

There is no doubt that Bill enjoyed a good life full of fun and adventure. Joining the Airforce as a pilot at a young age, he was very proud to serve his country for over 20 years. He held a variety of positions from Pilot to Air Traffic Control to Special Forces & Operations. He experienced many things that movies are made of, most of which are still classified. Although there were many, his proudest moment was during his tour of duty in the Vietnam War, known as the “Son Tay Raid”. Decades later, he had the opportunity to visit Son Tay, Vietnam and tour the area where the raid had happened. His eyes twinkled when he informed us that he had been detained by the Vietnam police that day, but his charisma and charm came in handy, and he was quickly released. In his retirement years, he was delighted to write and publish a book about his experience with the Son Tay Raid named “Secret and Dangerous” and spent his days touring the country making presentations to many different military organizations and clubs, making great friends along the way.

During his early career in the Air Force, Bill met his late wife while driving on the German Autobahn. He saw a damsel in distress with her VW beetle broken down on the side of the road. He stopped to assist, recognized she had the same license plate as on his own VW Beetle, and the rest was history. They married in Germany, moved to the states, lived on numerous bases scattered across the country, and started their family. His final military assignment conveniently brought them back to Ramstein Air Base, Germany, which allowed them to create lifelong bonds with his wife’s large family. In the mid 80's, they returned to the states and settled in the Washington D.C. area to work with Raytheon, then in 1992, they moved to Ashland, MA where he had resided ever since.

Mr. Bill was a jokester which is an extreme understatement. His audience was whoever was within ear shot, sometimes on purpose, sometimes not, sometimes only to crack himself up. He always found the funny points in life, whether obscure or obvious, and never tried to take things too seriously. He loved to collect things, mostly books on history, pilots, and wars. He also has a large collection of pilot wings from airlines that no longer exist to international wings that no one had ever heard of. Years ago, he noticed his late wife, Ursula, eye a frog figurine. Ever since that day, every time he saw a special frog figurine, he would always bring it home for her. Sometimes they would just appear out of nowhere, other times they were presented with great pomp and circumstance.

He led a good life, held no regrets, and left us with many fond memories. He is in a better place now, reunited with Ursula, smiling down on each of us who had the honor of knowing him.

Funeral service will be held on Monday, July 31st at Dolan Funeral Home, 460 Granite Ave., (EAST MILTON SQUARE) at 11:00 am. Interment will be in Massachusetts National Cemetery, BOURNE. Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to attend.

Visiting hours will be held Monday, July 31th at the Dolan Funeral Home, 460 Granite Ave., (EAST MILTON SQUARE) from 10:00 –11:00 am prior to the service.

In lieu of flowers donations in memory of Bill may be made to America Heart Association, 300 5th Ave., Suite 6, Waltham, MA 02451 ~ www.heart.org