William "Bill" R. Crochetiere

Bill graduated from Sacred Heart High School in Waterbury, and St. John’s Seminary College with a Masters in Divinity.

After his ordination as a priest in the Roman Catholic Church in May 1976, he spent many years of service for the Archdiocese of Hartford. Highlights of his priesthood were his time as co-pastor, with Rev. Lawrence Symolon, at St. Francis Church in Torrington, and when he concelebrated Mass with Pope John Paul II in the Vatican.

He continued his education, earning a Masters Degrees in French and Romance Languages from Central CT State University, became a Certified Linguist from Carnegie Melon and studied French language and culture at the university of Dijon in Dijon, France. His love for language became his passion as he taught French and Italian at the university and high school levels. He was actively involved in the Alliance Française de Hartford for many years. Bill retired as a teacher at Manchester High School. It was a great thrill for him to plan high school trips to France to spread his love of the French language and culture to the youth.

He is survived by his loving brother and sisters: Claudette (Crochetiere) Mansour (Hani) of Livingston, NJ; Rita (Crochetiere) Painchaud (Ronald) of Conway, SC; Marie Crochetiere of Cheshire; and Roger Crochetiere (Lori) of Meriden.

The joys of his life were his five nieces and nephews: Robert Ziolkowski, Jr. (Emilee) of Plantsville; Nicolas Mansour (Zeina) of McLean, VA; Philip Painchaud (Vanessa) of E. Granby; Emily Crochetiere (Max) of London, England; and Danielle Crochetiere (Jo) New York, NY. He also was blessed with great nieces and nephews, Miranda, Tess and Declan Ziolkowski and Chloe and William Mansour.

The family would like to especially thank all the staff at Marbridge, Cheshire, for their loving care of Bill. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to The Alzheimer’s Association, Connecticut Chapter Office, 200 Executive Blvd, Suite 4B, Southington, CT 06489 or online.

Visitation will be held on Friday, March 28, 2025 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Alderson-Ford Funeral Home, 615 South Main St., Cheshire, CT. The family will greet visitors again on Saturday, March 29, 2025 from 8:30 a.m. until the funeral procession leaves for a Mass of Christian Burial at 10 a.m. at St. Bridget Church, 175 Main St., Cheshire, CT. Burial will follow at St. Bridget Cemetery, Higgins Rd, Cheshire CT.