William “Bill” Delair, 97
Dan McClelland
William E. Delair (Bill), age 97, Overland Park, KS, (formerly of Tupper Lake) passed away on September 24, 2024 in the comfort of his home after a brief illness.
Bill was born January 23, 1927 in Tupper Lake, the son of William and Emma (Beauharnois) Delair. He attended Tupper Lake High School and immediately upon graduation enlisted in the Army toward the end of WW II. He was deployed to Berlin, Germany as part of the Honor guard, meeting such dignitaries as Eleanor Roosevelt and Mayor LaGuardia.
Bill was married to Audrey Bates on September 8, 1950, at St. Alphonsus Church. He was employed as a Senior Stationary Engineer at Sunmount Veterans Administration Hospital and continued his employment there when New York State assumed control of the hospital in 1965 as Sunmount State School for the developmentally disabled. Bill retired from Sunmount after 30 years of combined service.
Bill was very active in the community. He was the head coach of the Holy Ghost Academy varsity basketball team for five plus years, winning the Marcy League and Northern New York Catholic Basketball League Championship in 1962-63.
For many years, Bill served as a volunteer fireman, and during his younger years was a member of the Tupper Lake Volunteer Fireman’s racing team, competing throughout Northern New York.
He was a member of the Tupper Lake Country Club and their Tuesday Night Men’s Golf League.
He served on the Village Board, as well as one term as Mayor. He was an active member of St Alphonsus Church, and for several years he and his wife, Audrey, were responsible for the collection and administration of the Bishop’s Fund for that Parish. He also served as a Eucharistic Minister until his health prevented him from doing so.
In his later years, Bill spent hours every morning in his “prayer chair” praying for the needs of family and friends. He loved the Lord and was genuinely aware of the power of prayer in the life of others.
Bill was also a member of Next Stop! Tupper Lake, which built the historic train station here.
Bill was predeceased by his parents, William and Emma, sisters Edna and Ethel, and beloved wife Audrey. He is survived by his three children: Rosanne Davies and her husband, Michael, of Overland Park, Kansas; Gary and his wife, Karla, of Lee, Massachusetts; Charles and his wife, Ann, of Overland Park, Kansas, six grandchildren – William and Bobbi Jo Facteau, Kyle Delair and Nikole (Delair) Slowick, Ryan and Matthew Delair, and eleven great-grandchildren.
Calling hours will be on October 7th from 4 to 6p.m. at the Frary Funeral Home, located on Cliff Avenue in Tupper Lake. There will be a mass of Christian Burial at St. Alphonsus Church on October 8th at 11a.m. with a graveside service immediately following.
Condolences may be made online at www.fraryfuneralhome.com.