William Patrick Pickett
William Patrick Pickett, 82, of Bedford, Va., passed away Thursday at the Elks National Home in Bedford.
Bill and his deceased twin brother, Thomas Michael, were born Jan. 17, 1933, in Butler to the late Everton and Ruth “Hepler” Pickett.
Bill graduated from Butler High School in 1950 and attended Penn State University. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1952 to 1955.
On Sept. 1, 1956, Bill wed his surviving wife, Eileen “Stephenson” of Butler, and together they share three surviving children, son, Patrick of Albuquerque, N.M., his wife, Susan, and their two children, William and Rebecca; daughter Kelly and her husband, Mike, Dooley of Roanoke Va.; and daughter Mary and her husband, Stan, Ayscue and their daughter Mackenzie of Chesapeake, Va.
In 1985 after 30 years of service, Bill retired from Armco in Butler.
While living in Butler, he had his own radio show called “Pickett's Charge,” and he was a member of American Legion Post 0778.
Bill joined the Butler Elks Lodge 170 in 1959, and in 1981 he was elected and served as the Pennsylvania state president.
In 1983, Bill was appointed to the Grand Lodge Americanism Committee, and in 1984, he became national deputy representative to the Veterans Administration Voluntary Services.
In 1985, Bill was hired as the Executive Director of the Elks National Home in Bedford, Va.
Upon his arrival in Bedford, Bill had been active in several community affairs.
He was a member of the Virginia governor's task force regarding legislation for homes for adults, received a life membership from the Bedford lifesaving crew and was a member of the advisory committees for the Bedford school of practical nursing and Bedford science and technology.
Bill also was a member of the bioethics committee for Bedford Carilion Hospital.
Bill was a retired director of the Bedford bank of FNB.
He also served on the board of directors for Bedford Memorial Hospital as well as a member of the advisory directors of the Bedford Hospice.
After retiring as director of the Elks Home in 2003, Bill became an active member in the Tuesday Men's Group at the Resurrection Catholic Church where he greatly enjoyed his new friends.
The Pickett family extends their sincere appreciation to Drs. Janice Luth and Kitty Humphreys, as well as to Bill's caregiver and special friend Melvin Johnson and the entire medical staff of the Elks National Home. A special thank you to Bedford Hospice.
PICKETT — A funeral Mass celebration for William Patrick Pickett, who died on Thursday, Dec. 24, 2015, will be at 11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 2, 2016, at the Resurrection Catholic Church in Moneta, Va.The family will receive friends an hour before the service at the church.Memorials may be made to Bedford Hospice Care, 1621 Whitfield Dr., Bedford, VA 24523.Arrangements are by Burch-Messier Funeral Home, Bedford.
