Obituary of William K Fay

William K. Fay, P.E. is hard to put into words. He was unique and marched to the beat of his own drum. Born to Norman Daniel Fay and Louisa Fay on March 29, 1954 in Framingham, MA. He was a loved husband, father, grandfather, uncle, friend, teacher, and engineer.

He leaves his wife Karen Fay and children Felicite LaFortune, Celeste Fay, William D. B. Fay, Ronald Johnson, Timothy and Roberta Westerman, Hilarie and Jason Woodsmall, and Dan and Brittney Westerman. He leaves 7 grandchildren, JJ, Jack and Grace Woodsmall, Avril, Alec, Benjamin and baby Isabelle Westerman.   He leaves his sister Cheryl Fisk and brother Warren Fay. He is pre-deceased by his brother Stephen Fay. He leaves his nephews Benjamin Fay, Daniel Fay, Robert Fisk, Nickolas Fay and nieces Melissa Fisk and Wendy Fay. He leaves his best friend Kenneth Smith. He leaves his black Labrador Finley and is predeceased by his loving beasts Safron, Casey Guido, King Tutankhamen, and Cleopatra. He leaves the friends he grew up with in Northboro and Boylston, MA and the hydropower community from coast-to-coast. And so many more.

Since the Fays arrived in Boston in 1656; William and his older sister were the first to attend college. He earned a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Lehigh University and a Masters Degree in Engineering from Worcester Poly Technic Institute. That was just the start; everything he did was big. He went on to become a nationally recognized expert in power generation. With his loved business partners Davis Hobbs, Peter Clark, Kenneth Smith they built a fleet of hydropower projects and a world in which he could be himself. He spent several years at Tacoma Light and Power providing his seasoned experience to a large team of engineers working at Mossyrock. Have you hugged your generator today?

He was a technically brilliant and distinctive hydroelectric and dam engineer. He wouldn’t just inspect your dam, he would pull out his shark bathing suit and steel-toed flip flops and jump in the water to see first hand what was going on. He would help young FERC inspectors by pointing out potential issues that should be noted in their reports…at his own projects. He used his engineering to help people that were financially cornered; providing engineering services to those that got stuck with a dam and couldn’t afford it, municipalities that were tight on money or up-and-coming companies that needed a boost to keep going. As the President of the Belchertown Land Trust, he was instrumental in working with State and Local entities to fund and repair the Upper Bondsville Dam and ensure the Swift River is available to paddle for generations. Save the dam!  He traveled to the Angola to install water supply systems for communities without fresh water, and brought suitcases of candy and perfume to provide as gifts. He never passed a turtle in the road without stopping and giving it a lift to safety, and he never drove by a cow without a loud moooo out the window to say hi. The summer was spent jumping off bridges, walls or rope swings yelling cowabunga when he jumped. When on vacation, he would turn the car around to stop and talk with random road construction workers in Mexico; offering them coca colas and cervezas to cool off and brighten their day.

He gave everyone he met the benefit of the doubt and assumed they were good regardless of age, social status or viewpoint. He helped people down on their luck get their drivers license back, gave employment to people that others would not have considered and tried to teach any knowledge he had to whomever was around him. It didn’t matter who you were.

He wanted everyone to be happy and always had a welcoming smile on his face. Every day was an adventure and when it didn’t go right he found the silver lining somehow. He was the salt of the earth.

He had a special relationship with his wife Karen. They met when he was 16 and she was 14; he was her first love. Karen and William fell in love on Shrewsbury Common. After a 40 year hiatus the stars aligned and they reconnected via one of his famous 2am emails. They were married in 2012 at the Quabbin Reservoir and promptly set out on an adventure to Washington State. For his 60th birthday Karen bought him a 37 ft wooden sea cruiser. Despite having never had a boat before, they cruised Puget Sound with their dogs. He was never happier than he was when he was with Karen. He and Karen reconstructed a home to make their own on Ocean Ave in Harwich Port, MA. They enjoyed their time with family and friends in the magical world that he and Karen built together.

He was an outstanding father. He would tell anyone who would listen how proud he was of Celeste and Will. Encouraging, educational and supportive. He was the guiding light of our lives. He taught us to think outside the box, take opportunities, jump in with both feet and think BIG.  There was nothing we couldn’t do with him chanting the “world is your oyster” next to us. He taught us to drive about a decade before it would be legal, taught us to do engineering and surveying decades before there would be any engineering degrees. He stood behind us as we lead FERC inspections as teenagers. He taught us how to fabricate things in the machine shop, troubleshoot turbines, operate heavy machinery, and be dam good engineers. He taught us Yankee ingenuity. He didn’t just buy us a car, he bought one that needed an engine rebuild and a tool set. And then taught us how to fix it. He gave us life.

William touched so many lives and there will be many who want to pay their respects. COVID has complicated this. We do not want anyone to fall ill as a result of celebrating William’s memory nor would he want that. There will be a viewing for close family and friends on Friday June 12, 2020 from 3pm to 7pm with a limit of 40 people allowed in at a time with 6 ft distancing. The viewing will be located at Beers & Story 1475 North Main Street, Palmer, MA 01069. We will plan a Bill Fay Big Bash as soon as it is safe for our community to gather; but right now it is not clear when that will be. William had unique relationships with many people. If you think you fit the bill of close family or friend you won’t be turned away. No matter how close you were with him, if you don’t feel comfortable because of COVID, please stay safe and wait for the Big Bash.  Please email thorndikemill@gmail.com with questions. In lieu of flowers please donate to Belchertown Land Trust: Box 152 Belchertown, MA 01007 or For The Love of Labs, 54 Hazard Avenue Suite #284 Enfield, CT 060082 www.fortheloveoflabs.com

Willy: we loved you very much and you will be missed.