Bill Durkee: A life dedicated to service, family and community

It’s a call you never want to get, and especially not on stage in front of an audience. 

During his induction to the 2026 Waltham City Council on Jan. 4, Ward 6 Councilor Sean T. Durkee got a phone call: His dad had just passed. Although not a surprise — he had been ailing for some time — it was a solemn moment during a celebratory affair.

“My phone rang during the ceremony and I knew he died. Knowing he was a city councilor 50 years ago, it almost felt like a passing of the torch, a handoff of sorts,” Durkee said. 

William Wesley Durkee Jr. died at age 85. 

By all accounts, he was a hard-working family man and a giver, with a strong desire to stay connected with his community. He was fondly known as Bill or Duke by his friends, of which he had many. 

“Bill was a classic Waltham kid. He grew up in Waltham, served in the military, raised his family in Waltham, and served his city well, both as a city councillor and city employee. He was always involved in nature and helped with litter clean up all over the city. He was a gentleman as well,” Waltham Mayor Jeannette A. McCarthy said.

Born in Waltham in 1940, Durkee graduated from Waltham High School in 1957 and studied chemical engineering at Northeastern. His co-op studies and ROTC scholarship allowed him to work and pay for college, and he was the first in his family to get a degree. 

After graduation, Durkee joined the U.S. Army, serving in Korea and earning the rank of captain. He later earned an MBA and then worked in sales while raising a family in Waltham with Mary Anne Durkee, his wife of 61 years.

Durkee was in sales for nearly 50 years traveling all over the world, including the Middle East, South America and China. 

His combination of confidence and sense of humor is something people remember and admire. Waltham Housing Executive Director John Gollinger worked with Durkee when he was CPC manager. “Bill was a chemical engineer and very sharp. But he always used humor in his conversations with people, which made him interesting and approachable. But behind the smiles, he was very serious about the things he cared about.”

A life-long commitment to Waltham

There was nothing Durkee cared about more than Waltham. He participated in many community activities over the years and was very generous to local charities big and small. According to his family, he was famous for volunteering to collect donations during the Concerts on the Common. He would bring a few kids around with him and typically collect double the normal take when intermission was over.

Outdoors is where he shined as well, tending his plot at Green Rivers of Waltham, hiking at the Waltham Land Trust events, and watching birds along the Charles. When he turned 60, he won the first six road races he entered. He hiked the Grand Canyon at 69 and climbed Mount Washington with his brother at 76.

He was never afraid of a challenge, which helped him in local politics as well. He established a reputation as being opinionated, but fair, and willing to mentor others along the way.

“Bill and his entire family have been very active in the community for many, many years. He was very active in the Democratic Party, campaigned for numerous Democratic candidates and attended quite a few Democratic State Conventions throughout the years,” Robert G. Logan, Waltham City Council President and Ward 9 Councilor, said.

“I hope to be a statesman and be able to steward changes in the way Bill did with respect, transparency and honesty,” said Ward 8 Councilor Cathyann Harris. “He loved the process. Sometimes it can get heated, but Bill said as long as you can leave the room with those things intact, you’ll have friends and colleagues forever.”

Durkee’s legacy continues. His son Sean now follows in his dad’s footsteps as a Waltham city councilor and his daughter Kelly Durkee-Erwin is a passionate advocate for veterans and the arts in Waltham.“Dad taught us service above self, and he showed us through his actions. He volunteered with many organizations including the Jaycees, the Waltham Chamber, the Waltham Land Trust, the NU ROTC Alumni, the Waltham Arts Council, the Historical Society, the Boy Scouts — and any non-profit project his kids were involved in. He was a true people person and loved their stories and learned from them. He always had a smile. No one ever had a bad word about Duke,” Durkee-Erwin said.