William G. Irvine

03/06/2002

William G. "Bill" Irvine, 77, of 358 South Main St. died March 6 at home. He also resided briefly at Bostwick Gardens in Great Barrington. Born in Natick on May 28, 1924, son of David L. and Annie Ward Irvine, he moved to Sandwich, N.H., with his family and attended schools there. While in Sandwich, he was a member of the Civilian Conservation Corps prior to World War II. He was an Army veteran of World War II and served in Europe with Company B 365 medical battalion. Following the war, he studied lens grinding and worked for the Connecticut Optical Co. in Waterbury, Conn. He was a wedding and portrait photographer and ran the Home Heating Oil Co. there for several years. He moved to Sheffield in 1963. In the Berkshires, he held a tri-state heating-cooling and contractor's licenses, and worked for John B. Hull Inc. for many years until retiring in the 1970s. He was a member of the American Legion Post 340 in Sheffield and an active member in the James A. Modolo VFW Post 8348 in Great Barrington. He served for one year as vice president and commander of the Modolo Post, and served as CEO of the club's social club. An avid fisherman and woodsman since childhood, he also enjoyed picking and cooking wild mushrooms and other natural vegetation, reading, playing cards, meteorology and playing the lottery. His wife, the former Carol Frazier, whom he married Aug. 5, 1950, died in 1963. He leaves two sons, David Irvine of Selkirk, N.Y., and Dennis Irvine of Sheffield; a daughter, Patricia O'Keefe of Jacksonville, Fla.; three brothers, Kenneth Irvine of Bethlehem, Pa., Charles Irvine of Kent, Ohio, and Lennox Irvine of Lakewood, Wash.; two sisters, Marguerite Ramirez of Bethlehem, Pa., and Barbara MacCormick of Davenport, Fla., and two grandchildren. A graveside funeral service will be conducted Saturday, March 16, at 10 a.m. at Our Lady of the Valley Cemetery in Sheffield with the Rev. John Lis of Our Lady of the Valley Church officiating. There are no calling hours.

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William G. Irvine

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