William McElroy (1868 - 1953)

Born 22 Mar 1868 in Ireland

Husband of Margaret (Layng) McElroy — married about 29 Dec 1891 (to 7 May 1927) in Pittsburgh. PA

Died 9 Feb 1953 at age 84 in Pittsburgh, PA

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Biography

Death Notice, The Pittsburgh Press, Tuesday, February 10, 1953. McELROY - On Monday, Feb, 9, at his residence, 236 East Jefferson St., N.S. William McElroy, husband of the late Margaret Laynge McElroy; beloved father of Robert L. McElroy. Friends are being received at Herman and Son Chapel, 702 East Ohio St., N.S. where services will be held Thursday, Feb. 12, at 2 p.m. Interment in Allegheny Cemetery.

There are no records of William McElroy's exact date of birth, possibly, based on his death certificate, Sunday, March 22, 1868, nor is any information available regarding his parents, just that he was born in Northern Ireland. William McElroy immigrated in 1889 from Northern Ireland, arriving in New York on Thursday, October 24, 1889, on the City of Paris.

On Tuesday, December 29, 1891, at the age of 23, William married Margaret Layng,, age 39, In Pittsburgh, PA. They had one son, Robert, on Wednesday, July 5, 1893. William was naturalized as an American in 1894. The 1900 U.S. Census identifies his employment as a marble worker (polisher). He was known as a great story teller and regaled many listeners with his beautiful Irish brogue.

Both Mary "Mamie" Donnelly and Bob McElroy devoted many years to caring for their fathers. Following the death of Owen Donnelly on Saturday, April 5, 1947, Bob's father on more than one occasion encouraged Bob to marry Mamie, his long time friend. Approximately two years before the Monday, February 9, 1953 passing of Bob's father, Bob and Mamie became husband and wife.

William McElroy was buried on a brutally cold Thursday, February 12, 1953. Before his brief funeral home service there was conversation about William's age. Everyone thought he was over 100 years old, but in reality he was 84 years old. The graveside service temperature hovered around zero. The ground was so frozen that gravediggers could not prepare graves. An outdoor metal piping "wall" created temporary outside storage for his casket and a multitude of other caskets until the ground thawed. Later William was buried in an Allegheny Cemetery family plot with his wife, Margaret, her older sister, Catherine Laynge, and their parents, Miles and Jane Laynge.

In 2012 it was learned that there was a sixth grave at that site. A son of Thad and Minnie Schauer died from cerebral spinal meningitis as a toddler in 1906. William "Little Willie" Schauer is also laid to rest in that same family plot.