Southwest Greensburg councilman dies after long illness

Southwest Greensburg is mourning the death of councilman William Young.

“He was a good councilman,” borough manager Corry Sheffler said. “Before a council meeting, Bill and I would make sure we were on the same page in terms of zoning and properties or anything that needed to be done.”

Young, 72, died Thursday after a long illness. He served on council for more than eight years.

“He was the kindest, most loving person you'd ever meet,” said his son, Billy Young. “If you were in a bad mood and got around him, you'd be in a good mood.”

Young was born and raised in Greensburg. His family moved to Monongahela for a while, where he owned and operated a McDonald's restaurant and a sub shop, but eventually moved back to the area, Billy Young said.

Young retired from the restaurant business when he moved to Southwest Greensburg, but idleness didn't suit him, his son said.

“He couldn't stay retired,” he said.

Instead, he spent 18 years working at the Sunoco gas station on Mt. Pleasant Street.

“He was a social butterfly. He didn't need to do anything; he just wanted to be around people and help the community,” his son said.

On council, Young served as the zoning chair.

“He had taken a real active approach to dealing with any kind of zoning and property issues,” Sheffler said.

He had been unable to attend council meetings since August, when he suffered a stroke.

The borough likely will begin accepting applications from residents interested in serving on council after its meeting May 10. Council will appoint a new member to serve the remainder of Young's term, which runs through 2020, Sheffler said.

Friends will be received 1-4 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. Wednesday at Leo M. Bacha Funeral Home, 516 Stanton St., Greensburg, where Young's funeral will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday.

Jacob Tierney is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at 724-836-6646.