Friends, colleagues remember former Connellsville councilman
CONNELLSVILLE – Friends and colleagues of former city councilman and clerk William “Bill” Hughes were stunned Sunday when they learned that he had passed away. Hughes, 54, of Tyrone, who was a life-long resident of Connellsville until Oct. 2000, died as a result of a heart attack in Tyrone Hospital, according to official reports.
Former Mayor Thomas Duncan said for two days now he has walked around in a daze after learning of the death of his friend. “Ever since I got that call on Sunday night, I just haven’t been myself,” said Duncan. “I’ve known Bill all of my life and I have to say that Connellsville was always in his heart.”
Duncan said that even after Hughes left Connellsville to take the position of manager for Antis Township, he continued to keep in touch. “I always thought that when Bill left here that his heart wasn’t in it. I know he wanted to stay in Connellsville but he had to put food on his family’s table.
“I tried to get support to keep him here and get him a decent salary, but I couldn’t get it. I know he left for better things, but I can’t help but think he would have stayed if I could have gotten the support,” he said.
Duncan said Hughes served on council for eight years and as city clerk for two years. “You know you really have to give him a lot of credit because it wasn’t like he went right out of high school and directly to college,” said Duncan.
“Bill was in the service for awhile. He worked different jobs. And then, when he was in his forties, he went back to school and got his CPA and master’s degree. Bill was a real family man, and you have to give him a lot of credit for doing what he had to do.”
Duncan said during the last couple of days of his administration he was in constant contact with Hughes. “Anytime I had an accounting question Bill was ready with the answer,” said Duncan. “He helped out Charlie Mills with his pension when he was retiring, and you know he didn’t have to. Charlie drove up to see Bill and he helped him without question.”
Duncan said Hughes service to the community made a big impact on Connellsville. “We never had any financial problems when Bill was here,” said Duncan. “Bill did everything.”
Connellsville Detective Lieutenant James Bielecki said his friend, golf partner and Lions Club member had a deep concern for the citizens of Connellsville. “I worked with Bill for a number of years and he was in the Lions Club with me. He was a personal friend and I’m going to miss him.”
Bielecki said he was just thinking about Hughes last week because his son was married on Saturday. “I thought that I would give him a call this week, so I was shocked when I got the call that he has passed away.”
Bielecki said Hughes would be sorely missed because he was one of the city clerks with a wide knowledge of government because he had served on city council. “He knew how the city operated,” said Bielecki. “He had a very formative approach to management, the city and finances.”
Bielecki said a lot of the equipment he bought when he was chief of police was with Hughes’ help. “He would talk to other council members and he’d explained the need to upgrade safety equipment. He always understood what was important,” said Bielecki.
Hughes was a Connellsville Area High School graduate and received a bachelor’s degree in business administration and master’s degree in accounting from California University of Pennsylvania.
In addition to his duties on council and as city clerk, Hughes was on the municipal and parking authority boards while living in Connellsville. He was also a member of the Connellsville Elks. Bielecki said in addition to golf, Hughes was a “real family man” and talked about his wife, children and grandchildren all the time.
Hughes enjoyed hunting and fishing, and coached Connellsville Girls Softball Leagues. While in Tyrone, he was a member of the Mountain Lodge of Masons No. 281 in Altoona and was active in the community.