Roper

William "Christie" Roper, 81, of Butler died Friday at the Chicora Medical Center.

He was born Nov. 4, 1927, in Dawson, Ga., the son of the late John Thomas Roper and the late Martha Clay Bell.

He enjoyed hunting, gardening, baseball, spending time with his family, singing and fixing things. He was an avid Steelers fan.

He retired as an operating engineer from union Local 66. He then started and ran Roper Excavating & Landscaping for 30-plus years.

Surviving are his wife, Mary E. (Mathis) Roper; a daughter, Mrs. David (Kathy) MacDonald of Butler; three sons, Thomas L. Roper of Butler, Michael C. Roper of West Mifflin and Timothy J. Roper of Meadville; eight grandchildren, including a special granddaughter, Christine Brown, whom he had lived with and who took care of him; two great-grandchildren; a sister, Mrs. Ralph (Wilma) Anderson of Haver, Mont.; and a brother, Wallace Roper of Wilder, Ala.

He was preceded in death by a son, Dennis Roper; one brother and four sisters.

<B>ROPER</B> — Friends of William "Christie" Roper, who died Friday, Dec. 12, 2008, will be received from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday at the <B>Young Funeral Home</B>, 127 W. Jefferson St. Services will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday at the funeral home. Interment will be in the North Side Cemetery.Information also is available at www.youngfuneralhomes.com.