William Joseph Gallagher

William Joseph Gallagher, 86, of Butler died Aug. 22, 2016, in the Butler Veterans Administration Hospital of cancer. Born Dec. 11, 1929, he has been reunited with the love of his life, his wife Ann, who passed away Oct. 29, 2015. They were married Dec. 27, 1950.

Bill had great love for his and Ann’s family, including eight children: Denny (Roberta) of Butler; Debbie Cypher (Ron) of Butler; Jim (Brenda) of Butler; Tom (Gretchen) of Saxonburg; Jeff (Debbie) of Saxonburg, Dan (Cindy) of Boardman, OH; Mary of McCandless; and Amy Scheidt of Saxonburg; 17 grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. Bill’s youngest grandchildren, Breanna, Jake and Jeremy Scheidt, describe him as “the best pappy ever.”

He is also survived by two sisters, Mary Lou Laird of Pittsburgh and Lois Bauer of Penn Township, as well as 20 nieces and nephews.

He retired from Armco Steel in 1992 after 43 years of service.

The Herman Hurler had an incredible memory for dates and often began conversations with, for example, “Do you know what happened 47 years ago today?” He would then proceed to share the event that occurred on that date, and there was no doubt he was absolutely right about it. He even remembered how many hours and minutes it took him to complete each of the 15 marathons he ran. After his running days were over, he completed nine MS150 Escape to the Lake bike rides and was named to the MS150 1,000 Mile Club.

Bill served in the U.S. Army during a post-World War II peace-keeping mission, stationed in Heilbronn, Germany. As a cook there, he proudly joked that he “never lost a man.” His oft-repeated stories of his experiences in the service were nothing short of legendary.

Dollar Bill had many friends at the Butler YMCA, made over decades of exercising there. He also managed youth baseball in Butler for over 25 years and was a big fan of sports and country music.

A member of St. Peter Roman Catholic Church, Butler, he was preceded in death by his wife, Ann Gallagher; his parents, Cliff and Naomi Gallagher; his in-laws, David and Bernadine Bruner; his brother, George Gallagher; his brothers-in-law, Dick Bauer, Joe Laird, Joe Bandura and Fred Bruner; his sister-in-law, Bernadine Bandura; and Kent Scheidt, his beloved son-in-law.

The family would like to extend their sincere appreciation to the Hospice Unit at the Butler Veterans Administration Hospital for the extraordinary care given to their father.

Friends will be received at the Geibel Funeral Home, 201 East Cunningham Street, Butler, from 4:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. Thursday. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Friday, at 10:00 a.m., at St. Peter Roman Catholic Church, 127 Franklin Street, Butler. Entombment with Military Honors will be in the Mausoleum of Calvary Cemetery, Butler.

The Womens Council of St. Peter will meet at 9:30 a.m. Friday at the Church, to recite the Rosary.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the American Heart Association Heart Walk team, Kent's Knights- Knochin' out Heart Disease, and mailed to Jeffrey Kennedy at 444 Liberty Ave, Suite 1300, Pittsburgh, PA 15222-1207.

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