William J. "Bill" Berchtold of Marshfield passed away on July 9 surrounded by his loving family at the age of 61. Beloved husband of Evelyn (Brown) Berchtold and son of Doris (Lynch) and the late William F. Berchtold, Bill was the loving father of Jonathan W. Berchtold and grandfather of Justin, Jaydon, and Jace. He was the dear brother of Gerard Berchtold, Elaine Basiliere, Judy Kelly, and Paul Berchtold. He leaves behind many nieces and nephews who loved him.

Bill was an avid fisherman and eventually got his Captain's License which he was very proud of. He taught his son, nephews and nieces all how to fish at an early age. Bill owned a boat for many years which he often took out of the Brant Rock pier. If it was a beautiful day in Marshfield, Bill was probably out on the boat fishing. It was the place he found most peaceful.

Bill loved all things sports but none more than his Boston Bruins. A great day would have the Patriots, Red Sox, Celtics and the Bruins on, all at the same time. Bill was a member of the Duxbury Men's Softball league for many years and played every Sunday in the summer. In the winter, you could find him on the pond near his home with his son, brothers and nephews organizing a "pick-up" hockey game.

Bill grew up in Roslindale and attended Boston Latin School before moving to Marshfield with his family as a teenager. He graduated from Marshfield High School in 1976 and attended Bunker Hill Community College. Bill was extremely bright and was the person his family went to if they wanted to know the answer to anything. His nephew Paul declared at an early age, "Uncle Bill is the smartest person in the world." He and his extended family would hold "Family Game Nights" at their mother's home where they played Trivial Pursuit, Jeopardy and many others and which almost always resulted in hysterical competitive banter, "some cheating", name calling and many, many laughs. Everyone wanted Bill on their team because he knew everything. His family is so grateful to have these beautiful memories.

Bill married the love of his life Evelyn in 1983. Back in the early days, their family and friends knew them as "Wild Bill and Crazy Ev". Their first date was to a David Bowie concert and their love of music continued throughout their 40 years together. They enjoyed going to concerts, the movies and the beach in Marshfield. When their son Jonathan was born, he became the apple of their eye and they settled into family life in Marshfield.  Above all, Bill loved his wife and son and their three beautiful grandsons. In a world gone crazy with a need for material "things", Bill's needs were simple. He loved to fish, he loved his home and he loved his family. Add a Bruins game on in the afternoon, and life was good.

Bill battled throat cancer for seven years with his wife Evelyn always by his side. She became his voice when he could no longer speak. His family remembers visiting Bill throughout this time and when you asked him how he was feeling, his answer was always the same, "I'm feeling good." He kept a lot of his discomfort to himself. Bill was thoughtful and sincere but also had a great sense of humor. He was always there to help his family when they needed it, whether it was moving one of his sisters to a new home, building or repairing a fence or fixing something at his mother's home. He was very handy and always willing to help. Nothing was more important to Bill than his family and that also included his siblings and many nieces and nephews.

In his last days, Bill was able to rest with his beloved wife and son always close by, the Beatles on the radio and his view out his back deck of Powder Point Bridge. Life is good.

Visitation on Wednesday, July 15, 2020 from 9:00 to 10:30 a.m. at the MacDonald Funeral Home, 1755 Ocean Street in Marshfield will conclude with a funeral procession to Our Lady of the Assumption Parish Church, 40 Canal Street in Marshfield, for a Funeral Mass to be celebrated at 11:00 a.m. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the American Cancer Society.

For online guest book, driving directions and other helpful information please visit the website macdonaldfuneralhome.com