Obituary of William Edwin Rushford

William Edwin "Bill" Rushford, 88, of Morgantown passed away peacefully at home on Thursday, March 6, 2014. He was born September 18,1925 in Morgantown, West Virginia. He was the youngest son of the late William Rushford and Edna Cunningham Rushford. Bill was preceded in death by his brother John and three sisters Dot, Wilma, and Lillian. Mr. Rushford joined the U.S. Marine Corps when he was a teenager and served his country in WWII in the South Pacific as a member of the Marine 1st and 6th Divisions. After returning home, he married the love of his life, Bettie Lou Rose of Morgantown, on December 14,1946, Bettie was the daughter of CC Rose a defense attorney in Morgantown. They were happily married until her death in September of 2003. Mr. Rushford became a Master Mason of the Grand Lodge of West Virginia A.F. & A.M. and was a member in good standing for 50 years. Bill had a very interesting and storied career. As a young teen, he worked as a gas pipe runner, running alongside a pipeline listening for a tester as it checked for leaks and blockages through the hills of West Virginia. Upon returning from military duty, and after his wedding, he trained as a fire furnace bricklayer in Baltimore, Maryland. Longing for the hills of West Virginia, he and Bettie returned to Morgantown, and he became a small business owner of two service stations located in Morgantown. After selling the service stations, he worked for Sterling Faucet Co. as a long haul tractor trailer driver until Sterling closed its doors. He then worked for Owens Illinois Glass, in Fairmont, WV as a driver for the remainder of his career. In retirement, he worked for several years as an electrician with a family friend and electrician, Eddy Berry. PopPop, as he liked to be called by his grandchildren, is survived by his three sons, Rodney and his wife Kristan, William Jeffrey and his wife Patty, and Bradley and his wife Carol; six grandchildren, Katie Houser (Jerrod), Whitney Haslacker (Garrick), Chelsea Rushford, Justin Rushford, Megan Rushford and Christopher Rushford (Kelley); three great grandchildren, Gavin and Aubrey Haslacker and Ava Rushford. In honoring Bill's wishes, cremation services will be provided by Hastings Funeral Home. Family Graveside services will be held at East Oak Grove Cemetery with the Marine Corps League providing full military honors. The family would like to thank the Amedisys hospice organization and his caregivers, Linda Reynolds and Ruth Epps, for providing such wonderful care that allowed him to spend his final days in the comfortable and familiar surroundings of his home of over 70 years. In Bill's memory, please give the gift of your time and visit with an elderly family member or friend.