Obituary of William Dean "Bill" Gainor

William Dean “Bill” Gainor, 68, of Maidsville and formally of Clarksburg/Bridgeport, died at his home surrounded by family on Saturday morning, January 24, 2015 after a courageous but brief battle with cancer. He was born in Baltimore, MD on March 21, 1946, the son of Bretzel C. “Bill” Gainor and Jaunita Grace (Dean) Gainor. He is survived by his wife of 42 years, Sara Jane (Mazzei) Gainor, and their two daughters, Alexis McMillen, her husband Stacy McMillen and their two children Nathan and Emma Lee, Rachael Crites, her husband Zachary Crites and their daughter Avery Grace, his sister, Dr. Patricia Gainor, and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents and his brother James Dean. He was known to be smart, quick-witted, and kind-hearted, and was a loving husband, father and grandfather. He was an avid gardener who took great pride in his tomatoes which he often shared with the entire neighborhood. He had a special place in his heart for all animals, especially the many cats he cared for in his lifetime. He had enjoyed the companionship of his Maine Coon cat, Sam for the past two years. He was a voracious reader and a science fiction aficionado, and his family would tell you that he had likely read tens of thousands of books in his lifetime. Most recently he was reading his favorite book, The Hobbit. Bill began working at a very young age, faithfully committing to a paper route in the neighborhood surrounding Clay Street in Clarksburg for many years. He lived in many places, including New Jersey, Wisconsin, and Oklahoma, and held many successful positions including work in an iron foundry and housewares and furniture sales. He attended Fairmont State College, and later he retired as manager of the Land Department with Petroleum Development Corporation in Bridgeport, where he worked for 27 years. Family and friends will be received at the Gainor family residence near Morgantown, from noon to 3:00 pm on Saturday, January 31. At 3:00pm a sharing of memories and informal service to eulogize Bill’s life will be held. His family has honored his wishes for cremation to take place. For directions to the family home or to RSVP for the gathering please contact his daughter, Alexis McMillen, at 304-216-1949 or alexis4533@gmail.com. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that contributions be made in Bill’s name to Animal Friends of North Central WV, 252 Brewer Road, Morgantown, WV 26508, or by visiting animalfriendswv.org. Hastings Funeral Home of Morgantown is assisting the family with arrangements. Send condolences online at www.hastingsfuneralhome.com