William Maurice Aldrich, 85, of Norwich, VT passed away peacefully on Monday, June 26, 2023, surrounded by his loving family.  Bill was born on November 10, 1937, at the original Mary Hitchcock Memorial Hospital in Hanover, NH, the son of Maurice Charles and Olive Russell (Manning) Aldrich. He graduated from the Marion Cross School in 1952 and was a member of the Hanover High School Class of 1956. After attending Burdett College in Boston, Bill enlisted in the US Air Force and was ordered to overseas duty to Alaska. However, just a few days prior to his arrival, Alaska gained statehood so he never left US soil during his service time! While on leave, Bill married Elizabeth "Betty Ann" Goutas of Bellows Falls, VT on March 4, 1961. Following his honorable discharge, they lived in Norwich and he began his culinary career working as a chef at the Hanover Inn, Dartmouth College until his retirement in 1998. While he preferred to let other family members handle the cooking at home, he was the de facto gravy expert at every large family function or holiday.

He was lifelong sports enthusiast; as a young man he was a member of the first Ford Sayre Ski team coached by Jerry Hickson and "Lib" Elizabeth Fitzgerald and played in the Lebanon Adult Softball League, later he cheered on his children and grandchildren at their many races and games and followed his favorite teams: the Red Sox, Celtics, Bruins, and Patriots.

He was dedicated to the community of Norwich, where his family had made their home for generations.   Bill's deep family roots in Norwich were traced first by his uncle Leroy who begun a family genealogy project and was later completed by Bill. Through nearly 100 hundred primary documents written by his ancestors, Bill was able to read and transcribe firsthand accounts of his family history from their arrival in Norwich in the late 1700s. Most of those documents have since been donated to the Norwich Historical Society, an organization that he lovingly dedicated his time to supporting. He served as President for five years and helped to guide the move to the now Lewis House in 2003. He also served on the Zoning Board for 17 years and the Historic Preservation Committee for nine years.  In 2004, Bill was selected Citizen of the Year by the Norwich Grange, in 2010, the north parlor of the Lewis House was named in his honor, and in 2013, the Historical Society created the William M. Aldrich Volunteer of the Year Award. He was extremely humbled by the recognition for doing things that he deeply enjoyed and loved so much, he also liked to joke that he was "happy to know I didn't have to pay taxes on all the areas the Aldrich name was attached to!"

Bill's dry sense of humor and love will be dearly missed by all, and especially his family who remember the annual family vacations to Martha's Vineyard and Maine so fondly.

He is survived by his wife Betty Aldrich of Norwich; two children Michael William Aldrich and wife Stacey of Lebanon, NH and Deborah Lynne Patenaude and husband Andre Vincent of Hartland; a sister Carolyn Ann (Aldrich) Purcell of Haverhill, MA; grandchildren Ashley Elizabeth and fiance Sean, Zachary Michael, Whitney Olivia, Amy Lynn and husband Travis, Brittany Elizabeth and husband David, Leo William and fiancée Katarina, and Hunter Allen and wife Andi; great grandchildren Tildy, Logan, Elli, Shaelynn, James, Lily, and Branden; a special nephew Jim Kelly; other nieces and nephews, relatives, and many friends.

His family would like to extend a special thank you to: Adam Schwarz who helped preserve dignity to Bill's last journey, Bayada staff: Sherri, Lisa, DJ, and Edeline who helped him retain the privacy he so deeply valued.

A Memorial Service will be held on Friday, July 7, 2023, at 10:30am at the Norwich Congregational Church. Memorial donations are appreciated to the Norwich Historical Society (PO Box 1680, Norwich, VT 05055), Bayada Hospice , or the Alzheimer's Association .