Curtis

William D. Curtis, 83, of Fairview borough, Petrolia, passed away late Wednesday evening at the Chicora Medical Center following an extended illness.

Born Nov. 7, 1925, in East Brady, he was the son of the late William Clyde and Edith Mae Thomas Curtis.

A veteran of World War II, he served in the U.S. Navy in both the European and Pacific theaters. He was a member of the VFW Post 7073 at Parker and was a member of the American Legion at Bradys Bend.

Bill worked for a number of years at the former Knox Glass Corp. of Parker. He then began a 25-year career with the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, retiring in 1983 as manager of the store formerly in Parker.

He was a Baptist.

Surviving are his wife, Ruth E. Kespelher McGarrity Curtis; one daughter, Wilma Gray of Herman; two stepdaughters, Rose Knight of Jamestown, Pa., and Karen Himes of Brookville; two stepsons, Thomas McGarrity of West Palm Beach, Fla., and David McGarrity of Chicora; 13 grandchildren; several great-grandchildren; one great-great-grandson; one sister, Betty Bernice Simpson of the Clarview Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, Sligo; and a number of nieces and nephews.

In addition to his parents, he also was preceded in death by his first wife, Ruth Louise Wiles Curtis, who passed away in 1968; a sister, and a brother.

<B>CURTIS</B> — Friends of William D. Curtis, who died Wednesday, May 13, 2009, may call from 7 to 9 p.m. today at the <B>H. Jack Buzard Funeral Home</B>, Wayne Street, Parker. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday in the funeral home with Pastor Harry Waldroup, a family friend, officiating. Burial will follow at Perryville Cemetery, near Parker.Members of the VFW and American Legion posts of Parker will conduct a veteran's service at 10:45 a.m. Saturday at the funeral home.In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorials to either the Parkinson Foundation or an Alzheimers' unit of choice.Online condolences may be submitted at www.buzardfuneralhomes.com.