William J. "Bill" Dwyer

1926 - 2023

Niantic - Bill Dwyer was a perceptive man with a brusque manner and a joyful spirit. He moved through the world with an athletic vigor and a passion for life that belied his years. Dwyer laid no claim on courage or devotion or resilience but possessed all those virtues without ever being conscious of them. He worked hard his whole life and believed in having fun as much as working hard. Bill had a really infectious laugh paired with mischievous blue eyes that sparkled and twinkled. He died Aug. 9, 2023, at the age of 97, after two bouts of pneumonia with COPD complications.

William J. "Bill" Dwyer was born March 3, 1926, in Brooklyn, N.Y., to Michael "Bunny" Dwyer and Elizabeth Tassey Dwyer. His urban childhood was in an Irish neighborhood, where Bill and his three brothers, Eugene, Michael and James ran the streets playing kick-the-can, stickball, roasting "mickies" (potatoes) in bonfires, delivering a growler from the pub to his grandfather Pop (Chris) Dwyer, and surreptitiously hitching trolley rides to save the nickel to go to the movies. All this was set against the backdrop of the Great Depression: hungry people waiting for the bread lines and soup kitchens to open were everywhere. Tent cities of homeless and jobless springing up all over New York. The effect never left him.

During his teenage years, Bill worked part time on the docks à la "On the Waterfront." He joined his brothers, uncles and neighbors unloading goods from around the world. Bill often remarked how tough that job was, how you never knew what you'd find in the hold: from rubber sheets embedded with choking clouds of powder to maggots on spoiled goods. Bill would outlive all of those with whom he labored on the docks.

In adulthood, Bill served his country with distinction, entering the U.S. Navy in 1943 and being discharged in 1946. He trained at Samson, N.Y. Boot Camp, Oklahoma Ordinance School and China Lake Ordinance Depot in California. Having a cool head under pressure, he worked in explosive ordinance disposal units both underwater and on land. Benefitting from the G.I. Bill, he attended Brooklyn Tech to study ship design while working at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. It was during this time that Bill would meet Constance Sweeney, the love of his life, and marry in 1950. They would continue to be devoted to one another for the next 60 years. In 1957, Bill and Connie would begin a new chapter in their lives, moving their four children to Niantic, where Bill would begin his long career at Electric Boat - first, as a member of local 571 marine draftsmen, and later as a design supervisor until he retired. Firm, but fair, he was well liked as a supervisor. Bill was a straight shooter, not afraid to speak his mind. EB would recognize his strong work ethic and follow through by sending he and his wife to company expansion efforts in Atlanta, and Tampa, for months at a time.

Hard worker though he was, Bill was not without an appreciation for having a good time. He and Connie loved to dance and to be out and about. While still at EB, Bill and Connie became Justices of the Peace. They had fun performing marriage ceremonies and toasting wedding parties up and down the coastline. They immensely enjoyed their annual two to three-month winter vacations in Florida. He was an experienced skier, boater, scuba diver and motorcyclist. He had an enthusiasm for life and loved meeting friends for happy hour & playing fantasy football. He rode his Gold Wings motorcycle to work 12 months of the year (admittedly partially due to the constant lack of parking at EB) but mostly because he loved to ride. Even in his 90s, he still took his bike out, and considered updating to a trike just this year. He just loved to ride. Dwyer was always there for his Connie. During Connie's training in cosmetology, his hair became her testing ground for perms and colorings. Whether out of deference for Bill's fierce love and support of his wife's endeavors (or perhaps in anticipation of his ferocity in general), few co-workers dared to laugh as his hair changed color or when he showed up with curly permed locks. Regardless, all were relieved when she earned her license.

Bill was enormously proud to be elected commander of local Post 128 American Legion in 1976, for the Bicentennial Year, as a wave of patriotism and nostalgia swept the nation. The Legion was in its heyday and Bill along with Connie was in his element with popular dances, baseball teams, bazaars and yearly scholarships to Niantic students. Norman Rockwell's painting comes to mind of the hugely supported fundraisers by Vets for the good of the town youth.

Always one to keep active, Bill started his second career as a Connecticut State Sheriff, and later State Marshall, in the 1990s. He served due process-legal papers to local communities and state prisons throughout New London County. He truly enjoyed serving the courts and community, retiring only this year. His compassion for people showed as he always explained his role and did his best to be of service to those who needed it, whether prisoner or community leader. Bill just liked people, no matter what their background.

In 2002, following Connie's paralyzing stroke, Bill was determined that she would live comfortably in the home she loved without institutionalization. He did all that could be done to make the home accommodating to her new needs: installing an elevator through the ceiling, an outdoor lift to the deck, portable lifts on the ceiling next to her bed and next to the downstairs sofa, remodeling the downstairs bath with a roll-in shower, and refitting a deluxe cabin van for wheelchair use to make possible their frequent long drives and lunches out. For the last ten years of her life, Bill's gaze at Connie was never without a smile or a cheerful conversation about where they would lunch that day or what their next project could be. Their patience, kindness and love for one another were an inspiration to all who witnessed it. That same inner wellspring carried them throughout the lifelong disabling illnesses of their two youngest children. Bill was their rock, a great source of strength and comfort, always faithful.

Bill also loved Niantic. As a lifelong member of the Democratic Town Committee, he devoted his time and energy to the Planning & Wetlands Commissions and most recently the Zoning Commission. He tried to balance preserving the small town seaside community with the rights of homeowners and developers to bring change. The recent grab by the legislature for control over local zoning commissions disturbed him greatly. Dwyer did his homework, believed in being prepared for the good of the town. Colleagues describe Bill as one who could be counted upon to be a voice of intelligence, integrity and humor. Dwyer lived his belief that one person can make a difference.

Bill Dwyer began every morning standing on his bedroom balcony watching for "his egrets" to come soaring down following Red Brook, checking out his dock and being one with all he could survey. He never lost his sense of wonder for life.

He was preceded in death by his parents Michael and Elizabeth; his wife Connie; son Keith; daughter Sharon; brothers, Eugene, Michael and James; and son-in-law Peter Lynch. He is survived by his eldest Deborah Dwyer Lynch; grandson Ryan Lynch (wife Kim Willey); granddaughter Taylor Lynch (fiancé Luke Christensen); son William Dwyer Jr. (spouse Doreene Dwyer and stepsons, Chris and Stanley).