Will, as he was known, was born in Rockland to the late Angelo and Katherine (Sabino) Tedeschi. He attended Rockland High School, where he was an outstanding athlete. [image-nocss] He and his future wife, Grayce Woodward, graduated class sweethearts in 1940. The couple married in 1946 and remained resident's of Rockland their entire lives. Will and Grayce raised their family on Crescent Street and enjoyed a happy marriage for 44 years until Grayce's passing in 1990.
He served his country in World War II as an Army x-ray technician stationed in the South Pacific. Having been honorably discharged, he returned to Rockland to work with his father, Angelo, his brothers, Ralph, Nick and Bob, and his brother-in-law, Charles Fitzgibbons. The six men contributed to the successful growth of the original family supermarket chain named Tedeschi's and then later founded Angelo's markets. Today, the subsequent generations of Tedeschi descendants continue in the footsteps of their forefathers as operators and owners of the c-stores.
Jean Tedeschi Donoghue told The Scituate Mariner that the family plans to rename all of the Store 24 and Lil' Peach c-stores Tedeschi Food Shops within the next five years.
Tedeschi was a lifelong communicant of the Holy Family Church in Rockland. He was an avid golfer and member of Marshfield Country Club for the past 50 years. He was the former owner of Will Tedeschi's Package Store in Scituate Harbor. He spent his winters in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; it was there that he met his second wife, Suzanne Rogers, to whom he was married for four years until her death in 2007.
Tedeschi leaves his three children: William A. Tedeschi Jr. and his wife Michele; Jean Tedeschi Donoghue; and Raymond L. Tedeschi. He was the father-in-law of the late George Donoghue. He was the brother and in-law of Ella Fitzgibbons and her late husband Charles; Dominic Tedeschi and his wife Marie; Robert Tedeschi Sr. and his late wife Barbara; and the late Ralph Tedeschi and his late wife Madeline.
He was lovingly known as "Grampa Boo" by his six grandchildren Gregory Donoghue and his wife Lisa; Lesley Donoghue; Ashley Donoghue; Jared Tedeschi; Bryce Tedeschi and Kyle Tedeschi. He is also survived by his daughter-in-law Phyllis Tedeschi and many nieces and nephews, including singer Susan Tedeschi.
CSP sends condolences to his family, his friends and his colleagues.
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