William Henry MacLachlan, Jr. passed away on September 11, 2022 in the home he shared with his beloved wife Helen C. MacLachlan in West Dennis, Massachusetts. Bill was born in Allston, MA to William H. MacLachlan, Sr. (of Scotland) and Anna (MacDonald) MacLachlan (of Nova Scotia).

In addition to his loving wife, Helen, Bill is survived by his son Gordon MacLachlan. He also leaves behind his sister Joan Meakin. He was predeceased by his son Andrew MacLachlan and sisters, Amy Cutler, Barbara Farnham, and Mary Sutherland.

Bill worked as a carpenter in his early years. As he was beginning his career at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he was also attending classes at Boston College at night while raising the boys with Helen in their Waltham home on Trapelo Rd. In 1975 he earned his BA and graduated summa cum laude with a double major in psychology and sociology. He enjoyed success and friendships at the MIT campus as a safety engineer, and was later chosen to be Head of Safety at MIT‘s Lincoln Laboratory in Bedford. There he oversaw the implementation of a million-dollar overhaul of safety protocols at the Lab, with programs set in place that presaged today’s environmental attitudes, cautions, and concerns.

He retired amidst the respect and fondness of his peers and the gratitude of the Institute in 1995, and moved with Helen into the house they had built on Cape Cod— a home they enjoyed for so many years together, not far from where the family had vacationed every summer as Andrew and Gordon were growing up. Bill was a devoted Catholic and a thoughtful student of his faith. He enjoyed conversing about Christian tradition and Catholic doctrine even more than discussing Scotland, baseball, and the wild West. He was an active member of the congregation at Our Lady Comforter of the Afflicted in Waltham, serving as a deacon, CCD teacher, and head of the RCIA program. For the past 25 years he embraced the St. Pius X church in South Yarmouth, where he enjoyed being a versatile and valued member of the choir. Music was one of Bill’s greatest joys, and while you would never have caught him saying it, all who heard him would agree he was a remarkable singer with a tender, beautiful voice. It was Bill‘s expressed desire to receive prayers for his soul‘s progress, as he believed in Purgatory as well as Paradise.

One could say Bill considered Scotland, which he visited with family several times in his long life, a kind of heaven. The refrain of a song Bill loved so much—the ballad “Loch Lomond”— reads, “You take the high road, and I’ll take the low road, and I’ll be in Scotland before thee.” Throughout his admirable life, Bill endeavored to take the high road.

Visitation will be held on Monday, September 19, 2022 from 8:30am to 10:30am at Hallett Funeral Home, 273 Station Ave, South Yarmouth. Funeral Mass will be held at St. Pius X Church, Station Ave, South Yarmouth. Interment will be held on Tuesday, September 20, 2022 at 10:00am at Mt. Feake Cemetery, Prospect St, Waltham.

Our hearts are with you, Aunt Helen and Gordon, during this difficult time. All you will hear from anyone will be superlatives about Uncle Bill from everyone who was fortunate enough to know him. His greatest pride was his family. The very mention of either of you or Andrew would bring such expressions of joy. Any time we want to think of him, we listen to Pavarotti singing "Panis Angelicus". Pavarotti can sing it beautifully, but Uncle Billy has planted it right in our hearts, where he will always be. With all our love, Rob, Kathy, Sean and Joey