Mr. William J. Carroll, Jr.

Distinguished Army veteran and lifelong Waterburian

WATERBURY – William J. Carroll Jr, age 82 passed away peacefully on Sunday December 18, 2022 at the Apple Rehabilitation and Health Center in Watertown.

Bill was born on May 10, 1940 in Waterbury, Conn., the son of the late William J. Carroll, Sr. and Marie (Lyons) Carroll. He lived his entire life in his family home on Ayers Street, just under the cross at Holy Land, watching over his neighborhood and city for eight decades.
A communicant of the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, Bill was a graduate of Sacred Heart High School. He served and was honorably discharged from the U.S. Army, and held several jobs in his lifetime, including at the Peter Paul Candy Company and as a mechanic for the Waterbury Fire Department. Bill was a man who lived life on his own terms. He was a veritable Jack of all trades. He loved music, and he shared his gift by playing piano at events far and wide through the Naugatuck Valley and teaching countless students to play the piano. He loved to fish, he could build and rebuild any engine in the garage workshop behind his home and he was forever learning. You’d be just as likely to see an algebra workbook and calculator lying beside a Tom Clancy novel on the table next to his armchair. He will be greatly missed by all who were blessed to know and love him.
Billy Carroll leaves behind a world he made better for his hearty laugh, endearing stubbornness and Irish wit, and a family and friends who loved him. Left to honor his memory and celebrate his life are his cousin, John H. Tatigian, Jr. (Joan) and scores of cousins in the Lyons, Mooney, Norton, Ryan, Tatigian, and Flaherty families. He was especially adored by his cousin, Rosemary Tatigian Flaherty, who predeceased him, and long remembered for playing Silent Night at every family Christmas Eve party.
Bill’s family would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the caring, devoted staff at Apple Rehab Watertown, who, like us, fell in love with this endearingly headstrong, beautiful soul.

Funeral services for Mr. Carroll will be held on Wednesday, December 21, 2022 at 10:00 a.m. when a Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, 74 West Main St Waterbury. Those planning to attend are kindly asked to meet directly at the church. Private burial with full military honors will follow in Calvary Cemetery. There are no calling hours. The Casey – O’Neill Funeral Home and Cremation Center 742 Main St Oakville has been honored to care for William and his family during this difficult time. To honor Bill’s memory and in lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to, HomeFront, Inc., 88 Hamilton Ave., Stamford, CT 06902. Loving-kindness is always welcome, and it only takes a moment to offer a message of condolence, words of comfort, or share a memory with the family and friends of someone important to you. Please visit the funeral home’s tribute page at www.caseyfunerals.com to do so. However, if you are able, attending the service is a thoughtful, caring, and supportive thing to do.