William "Bill" Bruce King

KING, William Bruce "Bill" Lawyer; Civic Leader; Beloved Father, Grandfather, and Friend William Bruce "Bill" King, of Cambridge, Needham, and Phillipston, MA, passed away on July 22, 2025, at age 93, after a brief illness. Beloved and respected by all who knew him, Bill charmed family, friends, and colleagues with bonhomie, long stories, good humor, curiosity, and keen intelligence. He was dedicated to his family, to the law firm where he spent his entire professional career, and to civic engagement in every community he joined. Bill was born on June 3, 1932, the third of four sons of Gilbert and Frances (Hood) King of Chestnut Hill, MA. He graduated from Phillips Exeter Academy (1950) and Harvard College (1954), before serving two years as an officer in the Navy at the end of the Korean conflict, followed by ten years of reserve duty. Returning to Cambridge after active service, Bill graduated from Harvard Law School in 1959 and started a 40-year career at Boston law firm Goodwin Procter. On a blind date in the spring of his freshman year at Harvard, Bill met Radcliffe classmate, Sheila Malone, who became the love of his life and, in July 1955, his wife. They enjoyed 65 years of marriage until Sheila passed away in 2020. Surviving him are their three children, Stephen King (Mindy Aldridge) of Bryn Mawr, PA, Rachel King (Mark Mansoor) of Newton and Christopher King (Tara King) of Bellevue, WA; seven grandchildren, William, Sam, and Robb, Hannah and Matthew, Henry and Piper; and two step-grandchildren, Katharine Mancini and Matthew Mansoor. Bill is also survived by his younger brother, Richard King, of Worcester, MA; and several nephews and nieces. He was predeceased by his older brothers, Gilbert King, Jr. and Arthur King. In his career as a corporate attorney at Goodwin, Bill was one of the pioneers of real estate investment trusts (REITs), and through his work, Goodwin became one of the preeminent law firms involved nationally in the real estate capital markets. For many years, Bill actively participated in the work of the National Association of REITs and in 1995, received its Industry Leadership Award. Throughout his adult life, Bill was an active participant in Cambridge civic affairs, serving as president of the Cambridge Civic Association (1965 - 67); a trustee of the Buckingham School and, after its merger, of Buckingham Browne & Nichols School during the 1970s, a corporator for 50 years of the Cambridge Savings Bank and for 40 of those, a trustee and member of its Board of Investment, a corporator and later member of the Board of Overseers of Mount Auburn Hospital and in his later years, on the board of assisted living facility The Cambridge Homes. In 1973, Bill was appointed a member of the Cambridge Historical Commission and, through reappointments by four city managers, served on the Commission for 44 years, 31 as Chair, before retiring in 2017. While initially joining the Commission to provide legal counsel, he became passionately interested in and committed to historical preservation over his decades of service. During his tenure, the Commission was the driving force in urging the Cambridge City Council to use such preservation tools as demolition delay and local landmark/neighborhood conservation districts that might then influence redevelopment of significant properties. As Chair, Bill was known for his fairness and determination to hear from every side of an issue. In 2015, he was among the first recipients of Francis H. Duehay Volunteer Public Service Award, granted by Cambridge's mayor, and in 2017, the Cambridge Historical Commission gave him its Preservation Award upon his retirement. In 2019, Bill and Sheila left Cambridge, after more than 60 years, to begin a new life at North Hill, a retirement community in Needham. Bill enjoyed a full and busy next chapter there, avidly participating in classes, committees, and conversation groups, and making many good friends. In 2022, Bill's lifelong commitment to serving the surrounding community led him to run for and win a seat on the Needham Town Meeting, becoming an elected official for the first time at age 90. Ever the optimist, he ran again and was elected to a second three-year term earlier this year. Despite his many accomplishments, Bill was humble and always gave credit to his mentors and mentees. He took deep interest in others, drawing out their stories and then remembering every detail about them for years thereafter. He was highly social, enjoyed bringing people together, and had an open, generous spirit with all he met. He loved his work, his vegetable garden at the family summer home in Phillipston, travel, history and biography, good food and martinis, and especially classical music, which brought him pleasure and comfort right to the end. Indeed, to the bemusement of his doctors, his immediate regret upon learning of his advanced diagnosis was that he had just ordered his tickets for the Boston Symphony's 2025-26 season. A Celebration of Bill's Life will be held on Saturday, August 9, at 11 a.m., at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, in Wellesley, MA, standrewswellesley.org Livestream of the service will be available on the St. Andrews website. Contributions in memory of William B. King can be made to Cambridge Community Foundation, cambridgecf.org or Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust, mountgrace.org

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