William C. "Bill" Saylor, 87, of Mohawk Street in Bruin died Tuesday evening at Butler Memorial Hospital after an illness.

Born in Ridgeville, Washington Township, Nov. 1, 1918, he was a son of Harold Katen Saylor and Wyona Irene Hilliard Saylor.

He and his family moved to Bruin in 1929, and he graduated from the Bruin High School in 1937.

Mr. Saylor was a member of the Martinsburg Presbyterian Church since 1930 and he currently attended the Petrolia Presbyterian Church.

He served with the Army from 1944 until 1946 in the 706th Tank Battalion in Okinawa and the Philippines. He received many awards for his service, including the Philippine Liberation Medal.

He worked at Koppers Chemical Co. in Petrolia from 1937 until he retired as shift supervisor in 1978. He also drove a school bus in the Karns City School District for 30 years.

He was a member of the International Order of Odd Fellows Lodge in Butler since 1942. He also belonged to the Parker City Allegheny Valley Lodge 521 F&AM since 1961, was a charter member of the Bruin Volunteer Fire Department and a member of the Bruin Borough Council for the past 45 years.

He also was a member of the American Legion Dierken Ritzert Post 642 of Chicora, where he was selected as Legionnaire of the Year in 2004 and was a life member of the Chicora VFW. He was a dedicated member of the military funeral ceremonial squad of the Chicora VFW and American Legion posts.

Surviving are four sons, Gary L. Saylor and his wife, Norma, of Bruin, Dr. William W. Saylor and his wife, Karen, of Bear, Del., Joel A. Saylor and his wife, Wendy, of Myerstown and Ronald M. Saylor of Cleona; a daughter and son-in-law, Carol L. and Dennis Emery of Parker; and four sisters, Thelma E. Burrows of Palmyra, Verda L. Saylor of Chicora, Bonnie J. DeLaney of Marseilles, Ill., and Kathryn Norine McCall and her husband, Mark, of Rimersburg.

Also surviving are seven grandchildren, Gary Lee Saylor Jr. and his wife, Melissa, of Palmyra, Richard S. Saylor of Bruin, Patrick A. Saylor and his wife, Brooke, of Newmanstown, Adam E. Saylor and his wife, Theresa, of Pasadena, Md., Michelle A. Saylor of New York, N.Y., and Chelsea E. and Abby M. Saylor, both of Myerstown; six great-grandchildren, Kayla M., Megan L. and Courtney Saylor, all of Palmyra, Jared R. and Blakelee R. Saylor, both of Newmanstown, and Dylan C. Saylor of Pasadena, Md.; and a number of nieces and nephews.

His wife, Genevieve A. Welsh Saylor, whom he married July 17, 1943, in Grove City, died Dec. 21, 2004. A brother, Harold K. Saylor, and two sisters, Fern Saylor and Esther Jane Daubenspeck, also preceded him in death. Daubenspeck died in 1971.

SAYLOR — Friends of William C. "Bill" Saylor, who died Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2006, will be received from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. Friday at the RICHARD D. HILLIS FUNERAL HOME, 102 Argyle St., Petrolia. Funeral services will be held 11 a.m. Saturday at the funeral home with the Rev. Richard Rowe, pastor of the Petrolia Presbyterian Church, officiating. Burial, with full military honors accorded by the Chicora VFW and American Legion Ceremonial Squad, will be at Bear Creek Cemetery, Petrolia.Members of the Parker City Allegheny Valley Lodge 521 F&AM will hold a memorial service at 8 p.m. Friday at the funeral home.