William Senior

Niantic - William J. Senior, 90, of Niantic, passed away in his home Tuesday, June 18th, 2019, after a hard-fought battle with cancer. He died like he lived, surrounded by the family to whom he had so lovingly devoted his life.

A child of the Great Depression, Bill, as his friends called him, proved himself a family man at a very young age. Born and raised in Yonkers, N.Y., he often worked to help support his mother and three younger siblings when his father frequently had to leave home to find work. After graduating high school, Bill served with the U.S. Marine Corps from 1946 to 1948. After his time in the service, Bill went on to attend New York University on the G.I. Bill, graduating with a degree in business administration in 1952. Later that year, he married Georgiana Jimolka, a long-time friend and fellow Yonkers native, and started a family of his own.

After settling with his wife and four children in Niantic in the early 1960s, Bill's life would continue to be characterized by devotion to his family, friends, and community. While he was a hard-working man who would eventually rise to a respected and prestigious upper-management position at Electric Boat, he always put family first.

Whether serving on the local board of education, always making time to play with his kids after a long day's work, or devoting a happy retirement to spending quality time with his five grandchildren, Bill, who was probably called "Dad" or "Papa" more often, never forgot what it was like to be a kid himself. He was everything a good father figure should be. While he loved to dote on his kids and grandkids, he also never backed down from the hard work that also comes with parenting, and instilled his children with wisdom and discipline as well. He could make your day with a trip to Rocky Neck State Park and a banana split at Dairy Queen, or he could reduce you to a quivering puddle of repentance with that look which he'd later reveal, with a mischievous smile, was perfected with years of practice in front of a mirror. He was strong and stoic when his family needed a rock to lean on, but he also kept a bright and witty sense of humor right up to the end. His legacy lives on in the tight-knit family he leaves behind, and his timeless words of humor and wisdom.

He is survived by his wife and life partner, Georgiana, with whom he did everything; and by his four children, Billy, Alayne, Aline, and Alicia; and five grandchildren, Alexis, Justin, Mackenzie, Evan, and Lily, all of whom still gather for birthdays, holidays, and weekly dinners.

As his children and grandchildren have grown and started families of their own, they've brought Bill's teachings to the next generation. Teachings like, "a gun is always loaded," as told to a son or grandson learning to use his first B.B. gun. "Always pay yourself first," his financial consult for a granddaughter receiving her first payment for the coveted job of mowing the lawn. "Only you can make you mad," the empowering message he had for a young child navigating the early challenges of sibling rivalry. Along with the teachings, his family will remember the humor he always used to keep it light. When figuring out a problem, you could expect him to say, with a smile of self-referent sarcasm and a twinkle in his eye, "I don't have good ideas, I have great ones." Or perhaps, if things didn't go as planned, they were at least "good enough for government work." So we remember Bill Senior, a good man who left the world a better place than he found it.