Pilati celebrates 100th birthday

By Thomas Clapper

FPS Staff Writer

Hundreds gathered to celebrate the 100^th birthday of William E. “Bill” Pilati at Good Shepherd Hall in Malvern at an open house held May 25.

Pilati was born May 21, 1925, in Waynesburg and was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1943 during World War II. After training at Fort Sill and Camp Campbell, he joined the 275th Armored Field Artillery Battalion and fought in the Battle of the Bulge, enduring extreme winter conditions and narrowly escaping encirclement at St. Vith. He later fought from the Rohr to the Rhine Rivers until Germany surrendered in May 1945. Pilati was later set to fight in the Pacific but was discharged in January 1947 after the atomic bombings ended the war.

After returning home, he married his childhood sweetheart Ruth in 1947. They settled in Minerva in 1955, raised five sons, and were married for 64 years until Ruth’s passing in 2012. They have several grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great grandchildren. Pilati worked at Metropolitan Brick and cherished a life rooted in family and service.

In later years, Pilati speaks about his experiences, believing it vital to preserve the memories of WWII for future generations.