Obituary for William French Rev. William Alley French, in keeping with his mischievous nature and sense of humor, left this world in the early morning hours of Friday the 13th, and has begun his journey to be reunited with his beloved wife. He succumbed to complications from congestive heart failure and Alzheimer’s disease. Mr. French was born in Williamson, WV, on January 2, 1933, the son of Marcellus and Sarah Margarette (Alley) French. He was the last surviving member of his immediate family. His family moved to Pittsburgh when he was a young boy and he graduated from Crafton High School in 1951. His studies at Edinboro State Teacher’s College were interrupted by his service in the United States Army from 1954 through 1956, during which time he was stationed in Germany; and he subsequently graduated from Edinboro in 1957. From the time he was a child, Mr. French had a strong work ethic. Virtually never without some sort of income he began banking coal furnaces for elderly neighbors on W. Prospect Avenue when he was just seven years old. During his youth he delivered newspapers, worked in a bakery and a mattress factory, installed traffic signals, worked in the college cafeteria, and was a seasonal worker in the U.S. Post Office in downtown Pittsburgh alongside his father. He worked continuously from the age of 7 to the age of 78, and for almost 16 years held an additional job while also teaching. Beginning in the fall of 1957, Mr. French taught history, communications, social studies, and law at Brookville High School for the next 36 years. During this time, he served the Brookville schools in many capacities, including Audio/Visual Director, school photographer, football announcer, chaperone on dozens of school trips, yearbook advisor, and as a basketball scorekeeper. His proudest moments came from being co-director of the high school musicals from the very first one at Brookville through 1992. He and Richard Reed began the era of high school musicals at Brookville in 1967 with “The King and I”. At the very same school board meeting wherein he was hired by Brookville, a young woman was also hired that evening as a secretary. Her name was Andrea Lynne McManigle. Their photographs were published along side each other in the Brookville newspaper’s article about that school board meeting. Shortly thereafter, a student in Mr. French’s classroom notices his teacher would go and look out of the window everyday at a certain time. This student quickly figured out that his teacher was watching his sister walk to lunch every day. Introductions were made and “history” was made that day in history class. On August 9, 1959, Mr. French married the love of his life, Andrea Lynne McManigle, at the First United Methodist Church in Brookville, PA. She preceded him in passing on August 31, 2007. Mr. French took graduate course work in history at Indiana University of Pennsylvania and in 1976, he studied for three months in various cities in India as part of that program. For several years after that he gave presentations around the area on his travels in India and the Indian culture. A lifelong Episcopalian, Mr. French began preparation for a career change in the mid 1980’s when he commenced studies for the priesthood. He fulfilled his lifelong dream when in November of 1991 he was ordained a transitional deacon in the Episcopal Church and again on December 6, 1992, when he was ordained into the full priesthood. Fr. Bill served many churches in the Northwest Diocese of Pennsylvania over the next 19 years including Clearfield, Houtzdale, Smethport, Emporium, Franklin, Oil City and DuBois. Fr. Bill retired from the active priest hood as Rector of St. James parish in Titusville in 2012. He loved to travel, and he particularly enjoyed his trip to the Holy Lands in Israel with his church friends when he was 80 years young. For almost 25 years he took his family to Avalon, NJ, each summer to spend time on the beach. Everyone was welcome on these vacations including the family dogs. Fr. Bill’s life was spent in the service of others whether it be his family, his country, his students or his parishioners. He was the caretaker of his mother-in-law and his father-in-law and then his wife during their final illnesses. He was always helping others. Never thinking of himself. Never seeking riches or acclaim. His truly was a life well lived and he had no regrets. Survivors include two sons; Stephen and John (Natalie) French; four grandchildren; Ryan, Maria, Sara, and Jacob; and his former daughter-in-law; Patricia French-MaGuire. Family and friends will be received on Monday, July 16, 2018, from 4 – 8pm, at the McKinney – d’Argy Funeral Home, 345 Main Street, Brookville, PA 15825. A funeral service will be held on Tuesday, July 17, 2018, at the Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, 62 Pickering St, Brookville PA 15825, beginning at 11:00am and officiated by The Rt. Rev. Sean Rowe. Interment will take place at St. Mary’s Cemetery, Rose Township, Jefferson Co., PA. Memorial contributions may be made in his name to the Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Brookville, or to the Brookville Food Pantry. Online condolences and other information may be found at www.mckinneydargy.com Afficher cette page en : Français Traduire Désactiver pour : Anglais Options ▼
Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of William Alley French 1933 2018. McKinney – d’Argy Funeral Home
Death notice for the town of: Brookville, state: Pennsylvania