Owner of Allegheny Lumber and Supply remembered as businessman with big heart

William Schrecongost, who owned the Allegheny Lumber and Supply Co. in Tarentum, was known in the industry for his knowledge and hard work.

What many did not know about him was that he was a music major at Indiana University of Pennsylvania in the late 1950s.

“He was an excellent trombone player,” said Schrecongost’s oldest daughter, Kelly Krchnavy. “He would play for us when we were little. He was really, really good.”

William Schrecongost, 81, of Natrona Heights died peacefully at home last Thursday.

He was born July 10, 1938, to the late Harry R. and Bertha L. (Pierce) Schrecongost in Indiana, Pa., raised in Frazer and graduated from East Deer High School in 1956.

After serving for three years in the Army and being stationed in Germany, Schrecongost had a career in the finance industry, and also had a construction business. In 1998, he became owner of Allegheny Lumber and Supply in Tarentum.

“He was the most honorable businessman. He helped everybody and he was well respected,” said Schrecongost’s son, Bill Jr., who works in the lumber yard.

Krchnavy said her father gave generously to community groups, especially the Boy Scouts.

“He helped all the kids with their Eagle Scout badges, to do the projects they had to do. He always donated everything that they needed,” Krchnavy said. “There was one boy who built this little observation hut up in Harrison Hills. He helped him with the instruction on how to do that and checked on him along the way.

“He was brilliant in what he did and everyone came to him for help. All of the contractors, any weekend warrior guys, they all came and asked ‘How do I do this? How do I do that?’ ”

Schrecongost worked so hard, he just couldn’t bring himself to retire.

“He had planned to retire and travel. It was always he and my mom’s plan to travel and do things like that. And he would not retire. He just kept going,” Krchnavy said. “He just worked and worked his whole life. That’s what he did.”

But Schrecongost Jr. remembers that there was always time for father-and-son hunting and fishing trips and Sunday drives in his Cadillac.

“We enjoyed hunting and fishing and hiking in the woods,” he said. “We used to always go and get doughnuts after we would get done fishing. We always used to try and find the doughnut shop that had the biggest doughnuts.

“I spent many, many Sundays in the back seat of his Cadillac out riding around on those country roads looking for deer. There was no hunting on Sundays. We would just ride and see what we could see.”

And William Schrecongost was known for having the strongest handshake of anyone around.

“Every man that ever shook my dad’s hand knows he had the strongest handshake, to the point where we would have to tell him when older people came into the lumber yard, ‘You can’t shake their hands so hard’ because their hands would always crack,” said Schrecongost Jr.

Schrecongost is survived by his wife of 57 years, Barbara R. (Kozluk) Schrecongost; children Kelly (Lawrence) Krchnavy of Brackenridge, Dawn (fiance Carl Solida) Schrecongost of Sarver and William (Sheryl Graczyk) Schrecongost of Sarver; and his six grandchildren, Cory (Josh Sasfai) Krchnavy, Michael and Evan Gasbarro, Alexis, Kira and Kasey Schrecongost.

Also surviving is his sister, Audrie Riddle of Natrona Heights; sister-in-law Donna Carson, of Harwick; and brother-in-law Paul (Jackie Staff) Kozluk of Arizona. Besides his parents, he was preceeded in death by a brother, Charles R. Schrecongost, and brother-in-law, Charles E. Riddle.

Funeral arrangements were handled by Duster Funeral Home in Tarentum.