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William McIlvaine Jr., 64, editor

William R. McIlvaine Jr.

By Walter F. Naedele, Inquirer Staff Writer

Posted: July 22, 2012

Long before take-the-children-to-work days became an annual tradition, William R. McIlvaine Jr. was sharing his work life with his children.

In the mid-1980s, when he was executive editor of the now-defunct Coatesville Record, he would take his two sons and daughter to the office and acquaint them with one of his many passions.

"All three of us learned how to develop film," said his daughter, Dina McIlvaine.

Mr. McIlvaine, 64, died of liver disease on Tuesday, July 17, at Temple University Hospital.

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 '86, 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 his daughter, "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, July 22, at the family home in Exton.

Contact Walter F. Naedele at 215-854-5607 or wnaedele@phillynews.com.

Inquirer staff writer Anthony R. Wood contributed to this article.