Arthur K. Bee, 362 S. 7th St., Sharpsville, passed away at 8:10 p.m. Sunday, December 7, 2008, in the hospital of the Sharon Regional Health System following a three month illness. He was 86.
Mr. Bee was born March 19, 1922 in Westover, PA a son of the late William N. and Blanche Brickley Bee.
Moving to the area as a young man, he was a graduate of Sharon High School.
Mr. Bee retired in 1982 as a maintenance foreman from the former Sawhill Tubular Products Division of Cyclops, Sharon, where he was employed for 32 years. He then worked as a consultant to Wheatland Tube as their computer and phone installation and repair man from 1984 until October of this year.
Mr. Bee was a member of the First Presbyterian Church, Sharpsville; and the Benevolent Protective Order of the Elks, Lodge 103, Sharon, where he was a past Exulted Ruler.
A veteran, he served as a Seabee with the US Navy in the S. Pacific during WW II and was a member of the PA State American Legion, Post 945.
Mr. Bee enjoyed golfing, woodworking and helping friends and neighbors with mechanical problems. For many years, he and his wife enjoyed going to their cottage at Conneaut Lake, which he built in 1971, and were members of the Hazel Park Association, of which he was a past president.
His wife, the former Emma Jane Peters, whom he married September 14, 1946, passed away September 10, 1984. Surviving are: two daughters, Betty Lou Harhager and her husband Dale, Union City, PA; and Joy Lynn Batten and her husband Cyril, Chandler, AZ; a sister, Leona Dribben, Smithton, IL; four grandchildren, Terri Mease, Todd Harhager, Cyril Batten III and Christine Batten; and a brother-in-law, Norm Hassell, Sharon.
Besides his parents and wife, Mr. Bee was preceded in death by five sisters, Edna O'Neil, Nellie McDade, Dolly Hromyak, Genevieve Bartholomew and Ruth Hassell; and three brothers, Ralph Bee, Earl Bee and Louis Bee who died in infancy.
The family suggests memorial contributions be made to a charity of the donor's choice; or to the Humane Society of Mercer County, Inc., 3005 E. State St., Hermitage, PA 16148.
Calling hours will be 6-9 p.m. Wednesday, December 10, 2008, in the J. Bradley McGonigle Funeral Home and Crematory, Inc., 1090 E. State St., Sharon, PA.
Funeral and committal service will be 11 a.m. Thursday, December 11, 2008, in the funeral home with the Rev. Paul O. Mitchell, retired United Methodist minister, officiating.
Interment: Haywood Cemetery, West Middlesex, PA.