William E. Meagher, beloved husband of Dorothy Wrinn Meagher, to whom he was devoted in marriage for 66 years, died peacefully on January 13, 2017. A lifelong resident of Hartford's South End, Bill was born on August 31, 1927 to George L. Meagher and Florence (Herron) Meagher. His professional life was spent in service to State and Country. He served with the Merchant Marines in WWII and upon his return to Hartford, entered the Connecticut Army National Guard. Bill rose through the ranks to become Chief of Staff and served with distinction as Military Aide to Governors Abraham Ribicoff and John Dempsey. He was a graduate of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, U.S. Army Missile Commanders School and Eastern Connecticut State College. Under his leadership, the Connecticut Army National Guard won numerous national Pistol and Rifle Marksmanship titles. Bill retired with the rank of Brigadier General. In retirement, he continued his public service as a member and past president of the Hartford Board of Education, a director of the Hartford Public Library, chair of the Hartford Parks and Recreation Commission and a director at the South End Community Center. A communicant of St. Lawrence O'Toole Church, Bill also served as Minister of the Eucharist. Bill traveled often with Dorothy to visit four of his grandchildren in California and enjoyed their trips to Ireland and Scotland where he researched his and Dorothy's ancestors back to the 1600's. He spent many hours holding hands with Dorothy and watching UCONN women's basketball, and was an avid reader of U.S. and Irish history. He is survived by his wife, his daughter Patricia and son-in-law David Ritter, his daughter Kathleen and son-in-law Gary Lai-Hipp, his son Thomas and daughter-in-law Sheryl Meagher, and his son Daniel. He was the loving grandfather of Allison Ritter, Stephanie Ritter, Evan Lai-Hipp, Keilani Lai-Hipp, Kiana Meagher and Thomas (TJ) Meagher and took advantage of every opportunity to see them, especially when they were playing sports. He was predeceased by his sister Doris Ferrigno and his brother George Meagher. A funeral mass will be held 11:00 AM on Thursday at St. Lawrence O'Toole Church followed by a burial at Cedar Hill Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Connecticut Children's Medical Center.