Charles B. Wills

Charles Barry Wills, noted home builder, died on May 14, 2025 at age 101. He leaves four children: Richard Wills of Denver, CO; Nancy Keteku (and Willie) of Accra, Ghana; Cynthia Harriman (and Lew) of Portsmouth, NH; and Martha Rausch (and Jon) of Rowley, MA; seven grandchildren (Elizabeth Harriman, Sam Harriman, Emma Rausch, Hannah Rausch, Yaw Keteku (Yasmin), Kofi Keteku (Sena) and Adam Wills); and six great-grandchildren (Anna and Holly Cha; Zora, Jayson, Ama and Kekeli Keteku). His wife of nearly 77 years, Arline (Arnie) Wills, died in 2023.

Charlie grew up in Melrose, MA, where he was born in 1924 to architect Royal Barry Wills and Marguerite Waggett Wills. He graduated from Melrose High School in 1941 and was attending Tilton Jr. College when war was declared in December of that year. He enlisted in November 1942 and was called to duty on February 19, 1943. After an extended training period across the U.S, Charlie was deployed to southern Italy in September 1944, where he survived 35 missions as a radio operator/gunner on a B-24.

After the war, Charlie married Arnie (his high school sweetheart) on September 22, 1946 and they completed their last year of college together at UNH. Two days after graduation, Charlie became a builder in Lynnfield, MA, riding the wave of the post-war home-building boom. Working largely in Lynnfield but also elsewhere in Massachusetts, Charles B. Wills & Co. built more than six hundred homes, in collaboration with Charlie's father and brother's architectural firm, and in partnership with his cousin Roger Harris. While his children were young, his office was in his home, so his kids knew every carpenter, mason and painter. Decades after his retirement, "Wills-built" in a real estate listing still commands a premium price.

Charlie contributed in innumerable ways to community life in Lynnfield, serving on many Town Committees including Police & Fire Building, Sewer/Septic, Open Space, Drainage, Bi-Centennial and Water District. Even in his mid-nineties, he served for many years on the Lynnfield Planning Board; when he stepped down he was lauded by the chairman as "our conscience, reality check, and unofficial historian." He was also a Director of the Melrose Cooperative Bank from 1955-1998, serving as Board Chairman from 1984-98.

Beyond his love of family and home-building, Charlie's top three interests were camp, cars, and skiing. In 1932 his family hand-built a camp on Great East Lake in Acton, Maine; for his next 92 summers, it was a nexus for visiting children, grandchildren, aunts, uncles and cousins who would gather to swim, boat, play tennis and listen to the loons. His fascination with cars began in his teens; tributes in his college yearbook say, "To a guy who really knows his wrenches!" and "Good luck to a damn good mechanic." Into his late nineties he still owned a 1935 Ford Convertible, a 1941 Lincoln Continental, his mother's 1956 T-bird and a 1965 Ford Mustang. Although he didn't begin skiing until he was nearly forty, he became an avid downhill skier, continuing until age 92 - the same age at which he gave up tennis.

Charlie and Arnie lived in Lynnfield, MA for 72 years. In 2021 they moved to Edgewood Retirement Community in North Andover to enjoy a more active social life without the cares of home maintenance. There, Charlie stayed in independent living until three days before his death, with great support from neighbors, friends, and the entire Edgewood community.

A memorial service will be held on July 18, 2025 at 10:30 a.m. at Centre Congregational Church, 5
Summer St, Lynnfield, MA. 

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Charlie's name to Habitat for Humanity or to Historic New England.