Born in West Chester, Mr. McIlvaine graduated from Henderson High School in 1966, and served as a Navy hospital corpsman and operating-room technician in Japan during the Vietnam War in 1971.
Mr. McIlvaine earned a bachelor's degree in studio art and creative writing at West Chester University in 1980 and a master's degree in film and TV production and directing at American University.
While serving as the top editor of the Coatesville paper in 1985 and 1986, he taught courses at Delaware County Community College on creative writing, business writing, and public speaking.
Mr. McIlvaine never retired, pursuing a busy and varied career path that included writing and production jobs at the World Bank, the National Museum of the American Indian and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. In between, he taught acoustic guitar and painted portraits.
Said Dina McIlvaine, "He was a Renaissance man."
In addition to his wife and daughter, Mr. McIlvaine is survived by his mother Louise; sons Brian and Shane; a sister, and two granddaughters.
A memorial service was set for 1 p.m. Sunday, at the family home, 105 S. Whitford Rd., Exton.
Contact Walter F. Naedele at 215-854-5607 or wnaedele@phillynews.com. Inquirer staff writer Anthony R. Wood contributed to this article.
