William Evans Mcguigan

William Evans McGuigan, passed away peacefully at his home in New Freedom, Pennsylvania, on April 13, 2025, age 92. He is survived by three of his children, daughter Deborah and her husband David Page of Stewartstown Pennsylvania, daughter, Denise Bennett of Catawba, Virginia, and son David and his wife Julia McGuigan of Newport, Pennsylvania. His wife Mary Virginia, daughter Darlene McGuigan and son-in-law Robert Bennett, all passed before him. He is survived by five grandchildren and three great grandchildren.

Bill was born on January 30, 1933 in Hopewell Township, Stewartstown, Pennsylvania, son of Bruce and Anna (Jones) McGuigan and attended Leib School, a one-room schoolhouse. He was a Korean War Era veteran, serving from 1953 to 1955 in the US Army as a Field Radio Repairman at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. It was during his service in the Army that Bill married Mary Virgina Ruff of Delta, Pennsylvania on April 3 1954, a marriage lasting 67 years until her death on April 22nd 2021. Prior to his military service he was a brick mason working for his father and the International Smokestack Corporation of America where he built the Kennard Dale High School smokestack and numerous others in Cleveland, Buffalo and Nashville many rising more than 250 feet.

After leaving the Army, Bill continued to work in housing construction and was not only a master brick, block, stone mason, but also did carpentry, roofing, heating, plumbing, electrical, plastering, and flooring. In 1960 Bill started excavating the Forest Lakes development outside New Freedom, Pennsylvania. Excavating the two lakes and building the dams took nearly 2 years with the first lake being filled on September 9, 1961, the day his daughter Darlene was born. He then went on to build many of the houses around the lakes and throughout southern York County. Additionally, he was also a licensed Philco Radio, Television and appliance repair technician.

Besides being a noted brick mason, Bill had a passion for riding Harley-Davidson motorcycles and in his youth was a member of the Stewartstown “Rocket Riders” Motorcycle Club. He also took a keen interest in motorcycle flat track races, going to many of the local events.  In his later years he took even greater pleasure in giving his grandchildren afternoon rides throughout the countryside.

A lifelong member of the National Rifle Association and the Seitzland Rifle Club, Bill was a competitive marksman in the indoor/outdoor three and four position smallbore shooting leagues earning him a spot on the Pennsylvania Smallbore Team in the early 1990s. He also donated much of his time and the materials to help build the Clubhouse and outdoor shooting range covers at the Seitzland Rifle Club.  After he could no longer shoot competitively, he then helped organize, fund, officiate and score many of the smallbore matches at Seitzland.

When not working, riding or shooting, Bill would often be tending his garden growing much of what they ate, yet giving more away to neighbors, family and friends. It is with this spirit of community giving, that in lieu of flowers, the family requests any memorial contributions be directed to the Bryansville United Methodist Church, 2325 Bryansville Road, Delta, PA 17314. Public viewing will be on Monday, April 28, 2025, from 11:30 am - 12:30 pm at the Bryansville U.M. Church followed by a service at 12:30 p.m. Bill will be interred next to his wife and daughter in the adjoining church cemetery. Hartenstein Funeral & Cremation Care, Inc., 19 S. Main St., Stewartstown, PA, is assisting the family with the arrangements. HartensteinCares.com.