Helwig

Michael W. Helwig Jr., 75, of Cranberry Township, formerly of Lewistown, died unexpectedly on Wednesday evening at UPMC Passavant Hospital in Cranberry Township.

Born in Yeagertown, Pa., May 14, 1937, he was the son of the late Michael and Vera Rachitsky Helwig Sr.

A graduate of Penn State University with a bachelor of science degree in metallurgy, Michael had been vice president of the Metallurgy Department at Standard Steel in Burnham, Pa. His career continued at Sheffield Forge Masters of Sheffield, England, where he was the north east regional district sales representative from his Coraopolis office. He then worked in the sales department of Forgital Italia from his Wexford office. Currently he worked with his wife, Ruth, who owns Gilded Lily Gifts in Mars and Evans City.

Michael was a member of the Three Rivers Metallurgic Society. He was the coinventor of the S-Wheel which held a patent for railroad wheels. He was a past member of the ASTM Forging Specification Review Committee and had served on the board of directors of the Lewistown Water Authority.

A Catholic, Mr. Helwig had been in the Knights of Columbus in Lewistown.

Surviving are his wife, Ruth Ann Heckman Helwig, who he married on March 21, 1979; a daughter, Sylvia Helwig of Yeagertown; a son, Shane Sprecher of Cranberry Township; and his aunt, Margaret Shoff of Reedsville, Pa.

HELWIG — Services and interment for Michael W. Helwig Jr., who died Wednesday, May 16, 2012, are private and under the direction of the McDonald-Aeberli Funeral Home, 238 Crowe Ave., Mars.Donations in his memory may be made to the Lymphoma Society of Western Pennsylvania, 333 E. Carson St., Suite 441, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, or to the MS Society, Western Pennsylvania Chapter, 1501 Reedsdale St., Suite 105, Pittsburgh, PA 15233.Directions and condolences are available at www.mcdonald-aeberli.com.