James “Jimmie” Albert Bier III

May 19, 2017 Last Updated: May 19, 2017 11:00 AM Death Notice

James “Jimmie” Albert Bier III, 67, of Renfrew passed away Saturday at UPMC Shadyside Hospital from complications of acute myeloid leukemia.

Born Oct. 9, 1949, in Butler, he was the son of the late James A. Bier Jr. and Marie Morris Bier.

James was a devout Catholic and belonged to St. Fidelis Church in Renfrew. He was a 1968 graduate of Butler Area Senior High School. During the Vietnam War, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy and was stationed at Virginia Beach, Va., from 1968 until 1972. He continued to meet up with several of his shipmates, traveling around the country, visiting them and having mini-reunions. He went on to graduate from Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics in 1976 and continued his career in aeronautical engineering. He worked for US Airways for 35 years until his retirement in 2014.

As soon as James was old enough to shoot a gun, he was an avid hunter and brought home several trophies. During his son's younger years, James was a Boy Scout leader at Butler Catholic School. James loved sports, especially football, and was involved in coaching and volunteering for the Butler Area Midget Football League for 18 years and assisted with coaching baseball.

James was a hard worker and instilled these values, along with his Catholic faith, to his children. He adored his grandchildren and encouraged them to be involved in sports. He would spend so much time working in his garden and growing a large variety of vegetables and herbs, and he loved grilling and cooking out.

He leaves behind to cherish his memory the love of his life, Deborah Bonetti Bier, who he was married to for 43 years; his three daughters, Tierrah (Michael) Byers, Melissa (Wilde) Paule and Ashley (Adam) Benjamin; his son, Braden James Bier; his seven grandsons, Grant, Max and Clay Byers, Wilde and Cruze Paule, and Andrew and Aaron Benjamin; and his granddaughter, Anna Grace Benjamin.

Also surviving are his three sisters, Martha Ann (John) Samson of Meridian, Miss., Joan Adamo of Myakka City, Fla., and Susan Bier of Evans City; seven nephews; six nieces; one great-niece; and five great-nephews.

Greeting him in heaven will be his parents; his grandparents; his five uncles, Andrew, Thomas, John, Joseph and Richard; his two aunts, Martha Graf and Elizabeth Shannon; and his mother-in-law, Shirley Cook Bonetti.

BIER — Friends of James “Jimmie” Albert Bier III, who died Saturday, April 15, 2017, will be received from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday at the Boylan Funeral Home & Cremation Center, 856 Evans City Road, Renfrew.Mass will be at 10 a.m. Friday at St. Fidelis Church, 125 Buttercup Road, Butler.In lieu of flowers, the family asks you to give a donation to the James Bier Memorial Fund at 110 Dakota Drive, Butler, PA 16001.Expressions of sympathy may be shared with the family at www.boylanfuneralservices.com.