William E. Stratford

Middletown, RI - William E. Stratford, 77, of Middletown, RI, died Sunday, May 2, 2010 at Newport Hospital, after a courageous battle with leukemia.Mr. Stratford was born in Newport on August 6, 1932. He was the son of the late Augustus E. and Jeanette Brightman Stratford. He was the beloved husband of Alice Corey Stratford. Married November 15, 1958, Bill and Alice had recently celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary.Bill was a 1952 graduate of Rogers High School. Upon graduation, he was drafted into the U.S. Army during the Korean Conflict. He served as an MP at Ft. Leonard Wood, MO, until receiving an honorary discharge in 1954. Upon his military discharge, Mr. Stratford began a long career in the marine construction industry. He was employed by Perini Corp., Seaboard Construction Co., as a superintendant for over 20 years, and retired from Harbor Marine Corp. as project manager in 1998. Bill was known as a water-man throughout RI and Massachusetts. He possessed a knowledge and feel for marine affairs that was widely respected. He played a part in many notable projects including construction of the Newport Pell Bridge, Goat Island Causeway, Newport Naval Base Breakwater, Brenton Light Tower, and the Providence Hurricane Barrier. He was proud of his reputation as being skillful, honest and fair. He held a U.S. Coast Guard 100 ton captains license and was a career long member of Local #94 Carpenters/Dock builders Union.William was a communicant of Jesus Saviour Church. He was also a long time member and past president of the Middletown Planning Board as well as the Aquidneck Island Planning Commission serving as president for 20 years. He was a member and past President of the Middletown Lions Club. As a member of the RI Striper Club and Newport County Saltwater Fishing Club, he loved his off time fishing and boating with his family. Mr. Stratford was the quintessential family man. He coached youth hockey and baseball for many years and was known to never miss his sons games. He was active in the Boy Scouts, Middletown High School football and baseball and the Goat Island Yacht Club. His great passion in recent years was watching the Boston Red Sox with his wife, Alice. Bill had many close friends and was always quick with a joke, a story, or a smile. He loved to reminisce about the Newport of his youth of which he had an uncanny knack for remembering the establishments people and events. He also took great pride in landscaping his Berkeley Avenue Compound as it was known to family and friends.After retirement Mr. Stratford enjoyed traveling abroad to England, Ireland, Portugal and especially the Azores. He and Alice became snowbirds in Cape Coral, FL, where they spent many wonderful winters together boating and socializing with friends. In 2001, he accomplished a long time quest of travelling the intracoastal waterway by boat from Florida to Rhode Island with his family.In addition to his wife, William is survived by his sons James E. Stratford of Portsmouth, RI and John W. Stratford and wife Kristen of Middletown, RI, and was the proud grandfather of Kaylee and Corey Stratford. He is also survived by his brother John R. Stratford and his wife Jeanne of Roseburg, OR, his sister Helen Wilkey and her husband Duncan of Portsmouth, RI, and his fraternal twin brother James A. Stratford and his wife Kristen of Bristol, RI, His funeral will be held on Friday, May 7, 2010, at 9:00 am from the Memorial Funeral Home, 375 Broadway, Newport, with a Mass of Christian Burial at 10:00 am in Jesus Savior Church, Broadway and Vernon Avenue, Newport. Burial will be in St. Columba Cemetery in Middletown.Calling hours will be held on Thursday, May 6, 2010, from 4-8 in the funeral home Donations in his memory may be made to the Leukemia Lymphoma Society, 1210 Pontiac Avenue, Cranston, RI 02920.