Obituary of William Edward Grace

William (Bill) Edward Grace passed away in Rockland, Maine on March 29, 2024 at 59 years old.  He was born on June 5, 1964 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to John and Vera Grace.  He was the youngest of three boys.  Bill graduated from Northeast Catholic High School in Philadelphia in 1983.  In 1985 he joined the United States Coast Guard where he embarked on a life of adventure.

His Coast Guard career brought him to New London, Connecticut, where he met Mary (Griffin) Grace, the woman who was to be his wife and mother of his four children.  During his career he served at many duty stations, mostly in New England.  After 23 years he retired in Portsmouth, New Hampshire as a Chief Warrant Officer off the USCGC Tahoma.  Bill enjoyed following the Philadelphia 76ers, Phillies, Flyers, and was an especially huge fan of the Philadelphia Eagles.  He was extremely proud of his Coast Guard career and would tell his sea stories to anyone who was willing to listen.  Bill and Mary would eventually live separate lives but would always remain close.

Bill is pre-deceased by both his parents John and Vera Grace of Philadelphia.  He is survived by his daughter Mollie Walker, her husband Clinton Walker, son William (Billy) Grace Jr, son Sean Grace, daughter Hannah Maness, her husband, Jesse Maness, and four grandkids, Timothy and Harper Maness, and Liam and Kennedy Walker. 

A funeral with military honors will be held at a later date.  In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the National Veterans Foundation at https://nvf.org or Veterans at Ease at https://veteransatease.org