William F. Powers, Sr.

William F. Powers Sr., a longtime resident of Cranston, passed away peacefully on April 14, 2026 at the Dr. Ruth McLain Hospice Home in Braintree, Massachusetts. He had previously resided at two nearby senior communities, Edelweiss Village in West Roxbury and Standish Village in Boston.

He is survived by his children, Mary Forti (Mark), William F. Powers Jr. (Martha Sherrill) and Joshua Powers (Amanda), as well as three cherished grandchildren: Madeleine Forti, Lydia Forti and Will Powers.

A charismatic man with a big personality, Bill grew up in Providence with his sisters, the late Joan Valinote and the late Marilyn Schoop, as well as his twin sister Barbara McCool who survives him. He treasured the many summers he spent at his parents’ house at Matunuck Beach.

He was a 1956 graduate of La Salle Academy, where he was on the varsity football team, and a 1960 graduate of Providence College. That same year he married Mary Shallcross, a graduate of St. Francis Xavier Academy and St. Joseph’s School of Nursing. They had met years earlier at a La Salle dance.

They moved to Fort Huachuca, Arizona where Bill fulfilled his ROTC requirements as an Army officer. They then moved back to New England, living in Massachusetts and Connecticut while he worked for the Atlantic Richfield company.

In 1967 Bill joined Industrial National Bank in Providence (later Fleet Bank) where he rose to Senior Vice President. They settled in the Glen Woods neighborhood of Cranston and later bought their own cottage at Matunuck where the family spent summers.

Relatives and friends are invited to the calling hours from 10:00 - 11:00 am on Saturday April 18th at “WOODLAWN” Funeral Home, 600 Pontiac Avenue, Cranston, with a funeral service to begin at 11:00 am. Burial will be private.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Bill’s name may be made to La Salle Academy, 612 Academy Ave, Providence, RI 02908.

Please share memories and condolences at www.WoodlawnRI.com

To plant a beautiful memorial tree in memory of William F. Powers, Sr., please visit our Tree Store.