William R. Pfouts

1943 - 2015

William R. "Bill" Pfouts, PhD, son of the late William and Esther Pfouts, died peacefully at home surrounded by his wife and three daughters on Thursday, Dec. 24, 2015. Bill is survived by his loving wife of 48 years, Kathy (Baker). He was the proud father of Dr. Laura (Patrick) McGartland, of Milwaukee, Wis., Sarah (Kieran) Sullivan, of Chicago, Ill., and Rebecca (Chris) Butera, of Arlington, Va. Grandpa Bill will be missed by Caroline and Paddy McGartland, Oscar and Emmett Sullivan, and Lily and Benjamin Butera. Bill is also survived by his sisters, Phyllis (Jim) McCracken and Susan (the late Jacob) DeMarco; and many nieces and nephews. Born May 7, 1943, in Bellevue, Bill attended North Catholic High School. He graduated in 1965 from his beloved University of Notre Dame. Fate took him to Dayton, Ohio Thanksgiving 1964 where he met his future wife, Kathy, on a blind date. Their courtship was immediately endorsed by Kathy's father, "Doc" Baker, ND class of '31. Married in July 1967, they moved to Norfolk where Bill earned his commission as an Ensign in the Navy, deployed on the USS Mullinnix destroyer DD-944 in Vietnam, proudly serving as Chief Engineering Officer as well as Catholic Chaplain at sea. As Kathy said, "Bill saw the world and I saw Norfolk." Bill pursued his PhD in metallurgical engineering from the Ohio State University, finishing in 1972. He then gained employment with General Electric in Cincinnati, Ohio until 1980 when he finally moved back to Steelers Country, transferring to Kennametal in Latrobe where he worked until his retirement in 2008. He volunteered his time and talent in many ways through the years, including St Vincent DePaul, Meals on Wheels, the Notre Dame Club of Greensburg/Uniontown, and was actively involved in St. Vincent Parish life as lector, Eucharistic Minister, funeral choir, fellowship committee member, Santa's Elf and as a "rising" star on the bread baking committee. His daughters are grateful for his dedication to them throughout their lives. He was softball coach of the Pfouts' Phillies, Greensburg Central Catholic tennis cheerleader, tree house and tot lot architect, chemistry tutor to the girls and many of their friends, earning the moniker "Dr. Tungsten". He also loved visiting them on their many adventures as grownups, traveling to exciting locales such as Dublin, South Bend, San Francisco and Chicago. Regardless of where the girls were located, Bill would always check their car tire pressure one last time before they drove off. Bill enjoyed his time with his six grandchildren, especially a recent Pfouts Pfamily trip to one his favorite destinations, the ocean. Bill's friends and family were blessed with his loyalty, witty remarks, dry humor and whistling skills. He will be fondly remembered as a Notre Dame fanatic, boxed wine and buffalo wing connoisseur, spirited bingo caller, trivia enthusiast, lively political debater and wedding spinner at some of the finest country clubs in Western PA. He will ultimately be remembered as a kind and honorable man of faith who helped when he could and laughed when he could and inspired others to do the same. As Bill said, "I thought I'd go a bit longer but I can't complain as I've had a good life." The family would like to thank Dr. Matthew Sulecki and all of the caring people at the Arnold Palmer Cancer Center in Greensburg, who always greeted Bill and Kathy with a smile.
Visitation will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. Monday, Dec. 28, at the HARTMAN-GRAZIANO FUNERAL HOME, 1500 Ligonier St., in Latrobe. A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 29, in the St. Vincent Basilica Parish, 300 Fraser Purchase Road, Latrobe. Everyone please go directly to the church. Interment with full military honors by the VFW Post 33 Honor Guard will follow in St. Vincent Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Vincent DePaul or to the Notre Dame Club of Greensburg/Uniontown Scholarship fund for local students, checks made out to "The University of Notre Dame Scholarship Fund" and sent to: Michael Brooker, 427 Glenmeade Road, Greensburg, PA 15601. To post an online condolence, please visit www.hartman-grazianofuneralhome.com.