William E. Coyle, Jr.

William E. Coyle, Jr. of Bethel Park died Thursday, July 18, 2019 after a courageous and prolonged battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 64. Known as "Bill" to family and friends, he was born in Taunton, MA on February 13, 1955 to William E. Coyle and the late Kathleen (Gregg) Coyle. His family lived in South Bend, IN, Miami, FL, and Falls Church, VA before settling in Pittsburgh in 1964. Bill attended St. James and St. Thomas More elementary schools in Falls Church and Bethel Park and was a 1973 graduate of South Hills Catholic High School in Pittsburgh. He earned a bachelor's degree in accounting and a master's in business administration from Duquesne University and a master's degree in taxation from Robert Morris College. His career included employment with the Department of the Navy; Mellon Bank; and Harbison Walker Refractories. He was presently in the employ of Lanxess Corporation in Coraopolis as a tax analyst. Bill was a communicant at St. Thomas More Catholic church in Bethel Park and a member of the Men's Ministry at the South Hills Bible Chapel hosted by former Pittsburgh Steeler, Tunch Ilkin. From an early age, Bill's passion was baseball. He played Little League in Falls Church and continued with Pony and Colt Leagues in Bethel Park. As a teenager in 1968, Bill attended Ted Williams Baseball Camp in Lakeville, MA where he and other boys received daily instruction by Ted Williams who was impressed with Bill’s pitching ability. During his college years, he played in the semi-pro Greater Pittsburgh Federation Baseball League where he excelled as a pitcher for his South Side team. In 1976, he was selected as the starting pitcher in the league's all-star game. Bill had close friendships with several professional ballplayers including Ferguson Jenkins (Cubs) and Don Sutton (Dodgers). In his spare time, he enjoyed attending sports memorabilia shows and keeping in touch with former and current ballplayers. He traveled to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY on several occasions for the induction ceremonies. Bill had a knack for obtaining signed memorabilia. If a family member or friend remarked about their favorite player, they would soon receive a ball, bat, or photograph from Bill with a personal inscription from that ballplayer. Survivors include his father; a brother, Cmdr. Frank Coyle, USN-retired (Alfie) of Virginia Beach, VA; a nephew, Lt. Cmdr. Frank Coyle, USN (Kelly) of Leonardtown, MD; a niece, Alexandra Coyle of Richmond, VA; grandnieces Nina and Giuliana Coyle of Leonardtown; an aunt, Marie Coyle of Lodi, CA; a step-nephew, Jeremy Lopez of Virginia Beach (Bill took Jeremy to his first Major League ballgame); and many cousins in Massachusetts, Georgia, Indiana, and California. Bill and his family thank all those who assisted him during his illness including the physicians, nurses, and staff at the Hope Health Center in Calabasas, CA; UPMC Hillman Cancer Center in Pittsburgh; Wing 5G at St. Clair Hospital in Pittsburgh; his co-workers at Lanxess; and lifelong friends Dr. Thomas Lomis and brother Edward. In lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial donation to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (http://www.pancan.org) or to truly honor Bill's legacy, take a youngster to a baseball game.

A graveside service will be held on Wednesday, July 24, 2019 at 11:45 am in Saint Francis Cemetery Glebe Street , Taunton.