William F. Herlihy, affectionately known as Grandpa Bill, died peacefully Sept. 19 surrounded by family members after a long illness. He was 91.

He was born Oct, 10, 1916, in Newton to Daniel and Katherine (Lucey) Herlihy. While at both Newton High School and Holy Cross College he competed as a member of the golf team. After graduating from Holy Cross in 1939, he received a master’s degree in economics from Harvard University in 1941.

During World War II, he served in U.S. Army Intelligence from 1942 to 1946, earning the rank of captain. He served at Fort Hunt in Washington, D.C., the Pacific Islands, and finally in Japan. He was sent to the USS Missouri to be part of the Japanese surrender. He was one of the first troops to enter Japan after the cease fire and helped release POWs. For meritorious service he received the Bronze Star.

He married the late Hope Sullivan in 1942 and lived in Arlington. He was a pharmaceutical representative. In the early 1950s the family began summering in Oak Bluffs at the Camp Ground home of Hope’s parents, Ed and Hope Sullivan. In later years the family home was on Carole avenue near the Lagoon. Upon retiring in 1982 to Oak Bluffs he rediscovered his passion for the game of golf. He was a charter member of Farm Neck Golf Club. He fondly remembered getting two holes-in-one during his many rounds of golf. He was a member of the Vineyard Haven American Legion where he and Hope enjoyed many potluck dinners on Friday nights.

An ardent fan of New England sports teams, he followed their highs and lows. He felt blessed to finally see his Boston Red Sox win the World Series. A bridge aficionado, he played with everyone from captured German officers to his grandchildren.

Bill and Hope traveled extensively during retirement until their hearts settled upon spending the winter months for 20 years with many friends in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. They played daily at the Punta Borinquen Golf Club and relished their afternoons spent at Crash Boat Beach.

Drop a golf tee from the Morro in the Port of San Juan as the tide goes out, it will float north with the Gulf Stream, pass a few miles off the Vineyard and wash up on the shores of Ireland. Grandpa Bill’s life took him on that path, from island to island to island and he was laid to rest by the sea with his beloved Hope.

He is survived by two sons, Michael Herlihy and his wife Donna of Falmouth, Dr. Edward Herlihy and his wife Judith of Dartmouth; a daughter, Patricia Auge and her husband James of Houston, Tex.; eight grandchildren, Jeanine Therrien, Nicole McCarthy, Matthew Auge, Jennifer Herlihy Rakeman, Amy Herlihy, Jeffrey Herlihy, Andrew Herlihy and Daniel Herlihy; nine great-grandchildren, James Wagner, Jacob Therrien, Hope McCarthy, Madison McCarthy, Grace Rakeman, Faith Barrass, Mira Herlihy, Peter Herlihy, and Charles Herlihy.

A funeral Mass was held on Monday, Sept. 22 at St. Mary’s Church in South Dartmouth. Interment followed at Winthrop Cemetery in Winthrop.

Donations in his memory may be made to the Farm Neck Foundation, P.O. Box 1656, Oak Bluffs MA 02557. For online condolence book, please visit saundersdwyer.com. Arrangements were by the Saunders-Dwyer Home for Funerals in New Bedford.