William N. Tuscano

Many people think that Bill Tuscano reinvented himself when, in 1992 he traded the successful W.N. Tuscano Agency, that he started in 1970, for a small gas station and bait shop at Longbridge in Ligonier.  He had wanted to have his own gas station as a way to connect with the public on their travels down the “Lincoln Highway” since his days as a truck driver delivering gas to area Sunoco stations.  But Bill's life story was a series of reinventions and they continued throughout his life.  
Bill was born on a 200-acre apple orchard near Milford, Pa. on June 6, 1927 to Alfred H. and Katherine Barkley Tuscano.  And so he began his life as a farm boy.  When the Great Depression made it impossible to keep the farm, his family, Bill and two sisters, relocated to Greensburg where his father secured a job in life insurance sales.  After graduation from Greensburg High School in 1945 Bill enlisted in the Navy.  When the war ended he came back to the states and enrolled at Waynesburg Junior College. In 1948, he married his childhood sweetheart Virginia (Jinny) Boone.  Bill made his living from then until 1966 as a long-haul truck driver and then as a local gas delivery driver for Sun Oil.  Between 1949 and 1962 Bill and Jinny had 6 kids, Sue, Al, Barry, and Joady followed by Jinny and Rob who arrived after a 6 year lull. 
It was in 1966 that he ran for, and won, the local seat in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.  During his two-year term in the House he secured a position at Westmoreland Casualty Insurance Company which motivated him to start his own insurance agency. For the next 22 years Bill led the organization and brought several of his children into the business. In 1992 Bill retired and, in classic Bill Tuscano style, he and his wife got on his motorcycle for a cross-country adventure.
As it turns out Bill couldn't stay retired for long.   He was always thinking about “what's next?”:  the next motorcycle trip he was taking, the next business he was going to open, the next meal he was going to cook for Jinny.  Whenever you ran into Bill, he left a lasting impression and a wonderful smile.   He left behind many friends as he stayed active in the community: volunteering with Meals on Wheels, going on mission trips to Agua Viva Children's Home in Guatemala and as a long-standing member of St. Michael's of the Valley Episcopal Church. 
Bill has yet again reinvented himself in his connection with his 6 children, his 19 grandchildren, his 25 great grandchildren and his two great, great grandchildren.  His most lasting legacy however, is, and always will be, the love of his family and their love for each other.
There will be a private family service on Thursday, September 3 at St. Michael's of the Valley Episcopal Church. In lieu of flowers, the family requested memorial donations be made to St. Michael's of the Valley Outreach.
McCabe Funeral Home, 144 East Main Street, Ligonier is in charge of arrangements.
Online condolences may be made to www.mccabefuneralhomespa.com.