Folsom Funeral Service

It is with great sadness that Beatrice Bentz Dole announces that her beloved husband, William Page Dole, died peacefully at his home in Westwood on March 7, 2019 at the age of 90. He had been treated for heart disease since 1987 and was grateful for his extended rich and rewarding life. He was born in Melrose in May 1928, raised his family in Wellesley and later resided in Weston, Osterville, Boston and Westwood. Bill graduated from Browne and Nichols in 1946. He was a proud graduate of Harvard, Class of 1949. Bill stayed very engaged in Harvard Class ’49 activities and remained an active member of the Harvard Club. He was the owner-publisher of weekly newspapers in the Boston and Lowell areas including: The Cambridge Chronicle, the oldest surviving weekly paper in the US established in 1846, The Somerville Journal, The Watertown Press and The Merrimack Valley Advertiser. As President of the Accredited Home Newspapers of America he helped consolidate three competing national trade associations into The Suburban Newspapers of America and served as its first president. He was active with the New England Press Association and elected to its Hall of Fame. In Cambridge, where he published the weekly Cambridge Chronicle, he was on the Executive Committee of the Cambridgeport Savings Bank. He was the first recipient of the Cambridge YMCA’s Spirit, Mind and Body Award and enjoyed 43 years of perfect attendance in the Cambridge Rotary. Bill traveled extensively, visiting all fifty states and all continents except Antarctica. An early running enthusiast, Bill started jogging in 1962 and ran in four Boston Marathons. He earned membership in the New England 4,000 Footer Club by climbing all 65 peaks. He was a volunteer in many health study groups including the Framingham Heart Study. Physical fitness programs were an important part of his life. Bill was a keen golfer and a long-time member of the Brae Burn Country Club, Wianno Club of the Cape and the Bay State Senior Golf Association. He ran the 1975 United States Women’s Amateur Golf Championship with his first wife, Johnnie. Bill was also a member of the Duxbury Yacht Club, the Chilton Club of Boston and White Mountain Ski Runners. Throughout his life Bill was an avid bridge player. Despite his many activities and interests, family was always his top priority. He married his beloved, devoted second wife, Beatrice Bentz Dole, in 2015 in Westwood. They enjoyed a very special loving and caring partnership for over four years at Fox Hill Village. He is survived by his son William (Kip), daughter-in-law Vivian, grandson William and granddaughter Alyssa all of Wellesley, a sister Susan Dole of Brookline and a daughter, Elizabeth, in Florida. His step-children, Martin Bentz and Helena Bentz Hartnett, and their spouses (Wafae and Ken), their children and grandchildren, also mourn his passing. He was predeceased by his first wife, Audrey J. Dole (1955-2014), and sister, Dorothy Lawry of Melrose. A celebration of his life will be held Saturday, March 30, 2019 at 2 pm at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 59 Court Street, Dedham. In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory may be sent to the Appalachian Mountain Club, 10 City Square, Boston, MA 02129 (outdoors.org) or to WGBH, One Guest Street, Boston, MA 02135 (www.wgbh.org/support/tribute). 

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