William R. “Bill” Clark

William R. “Bill” Clark of Butler passed away Saturday at the Lutheran Senior VNA Inpatient Hospice.

He was born Oct. 15, 1925, in Ashland, Ky., and was a son of James H. and Josephine Clark.

William was the husband of Evelyn W. (Wise) Clark, whom he married Sept. 15, 1948, and who preceded him in death on July 8, 2014.

William came to Butler with his family in the late 1920s. He was the youngest of the four boys, his brothers, Charles, Glenn and James Clark, who preceded him in death.

William was a member of First English Lutheran Church.

He was a retiree from Armco Steel where he worked as a welder in the maintenance shop.

Outside of his love of family, he was a man of many passions and interests. He took pride in being a member of the Son's of the American Revolution Christopher Gist Chapter of the Pennsylvania Society. He also was a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows Lodge 278 and served on the Board of IOOF for the Orchard Home in Grove City. Bill belonged to the Masonic Order and was a lifetime member of the Scottish Rite.

He served as a deputy sheriff of Butler County various times since he was 28 years old. He enjoyed volunteering at Air Heritage Inc., Beaver Falls, restoring World War II aircraft and earlier in his life, built two aircraft and a gyrocopter, of which he piloted.

He was honorably discharged from the U.S. Army in 1951.

He was an avid auto racing enthusiast and volunteered as a sprint car machinist for the multiple racing teams. He enjoyed knife making and often gifted family and friends custom knives. Some of his knives were gifts to Butler County Law Enforcement Society, of which he was a life member. He was a member of the East Butler Hunting & Fishing Club and he supported the Boy Scouts of America over the years.

He was a lover of all animals great and small.

William is survived by his daughter, Debra A. (Richard T.) Brannon of Butler; Barbara A. (Rolland) Zellerino of Newburgh, Ind.; a son, Matthew R. (Constance) Zarnick Clark of Woodbridge, Va.; eight grandchildren, Jeremy (Anna) and Roman Zellerino, Andrew and Jason (Shannon) Brannon, Wyatt, Hannah, Jonah and Gillian Clark; three great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.

We would like to thank the staff at Lutheran VNA Hospice for the compassionate care William received during his final journey home.

CLARK — Friends of William R. “Bill” Clark, who died Saturday, Dec. 30, 2017, will be received from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at Young Funeral Home, 127 W. Jefferson St., Butler.Services will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday at the funeral home.Private interment will be in the Greenlawn Burial Estates.Contributions may be made to the Air Heritage Inc., 35 Piper St., Beaver County Airport, Beaver Falls, PA 15010.For more information, go to www.youngfuneralhomes.com.