William F. Gearin, 83, a former Massachusetts State Trooper, passed away at home on Friday, November 23, 2012 after an illness.
     He leaves his wife of 20 years, Karen E. (Butkus) Gearin; four children, Laureen Gearin of Worcester, Timothy Gearin and his wife Jackie of Phillipston, Marc Gearin and his wife Masako of Boston and Jacklyn Gearin of Worcester; two grandchildren, Kaitlin Gearin of Amherst and Tyler Gearin of Phillipston.
     William was born in Worcester, the son of William and Grace (Packard) Gearin and lived in Spencer before moving to Paxton 20 years ago. He graduated from North High School, Springfield College and the Mass State Police Academy in 1953. He was an Army Sergeant during the Korean Conflict where he earned a Korean Service Medal with one Bronze Star.
William started his long career in law enforcement as a Massachusetts State Trooper, working in the D.A’s office where he was recruited to serve as an investigator for the Mass Crime Commission which handled high profile political corruption cases. He established a security training program for Worcester County National Bank. He was the director of corporate security at Shawmut National Bank and founded the Worcester County Fraudulent Check Association Inc. and the HOLMES information sharing network.
     William was a member of Christ the King Church and its Knights of Columbus Council 12691 in Worcester. He was a member of the Spencer Finance Committee, served and was chairman of the Spencer Housing Authority and Spencer School Committee. In 1985 he presented a plan for the new Spencer Police Station, which was built and dedicated in 1988. He was a member of the Revitalization Committee in Spencer, which secured federal and state funds along with partial grants for the Town of Spencer. He chaired the committee that established and funded Tufts Veterinary School and was a mentor to young adults at the Nazareth Home for Boys. He belonged to the Mass State Police Pistol Team and was recently elected to the board of directors of the Former Mass State Trooper’s Assoc. He was the former chairman of the Y.M.C.A. Central Worcester Branch and the Security Commission for the Bank Administration Institute. He coached Pop Warner Football and was past president of the Laurelwood Riding Club.
     Relatives and friends are invited to attend calling hours from 2 to 5 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 25, in Miles Funeral Home, 1158 Main Street, Holden. Funeral services for William will be held on Monday, Nov. 26, from the funeral home with a 10 a.m. Mass of Christian Burial in Christ the King Church, 1052 Pleasant Street, Worcester. Burial will follow at Worcester County Memorial Park in Paxton. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to The Massachusetts State Police Museum and Learning Center, Inc., 470 Worcester Road, Framingham, MA 01702.