Obituary of William J. Davern

William J. Davern, Sr., 93, of Syracuse, passed away on July 9th. A native of Syracuse, Bill resided in Tonawanda, NY for much of his life up until 2004. Bill served in the US Marine Corps during WWII. He retired from Pitney Bowes in 1989, but did not retire from service to his community. Bill was predeceased by his beloved wife, Virginia C. Davern, in 2006. He is survived by son, Michael (Theresa) Davern; son, William Davern Jr., all of Syracuse; daughter, Linda Davern of Albany; and grandchildren, Amelia Davern of Buffalo, Christopher Davern of Albany, and Sean and Angelina Konovitz-Davern of Amherst, as well as nieces and nephews. His son, James passed away in 2003. Known as The Jokester to many, Bill believed strongly in volunteer service. While living in Tonawanda, he delivered Meals on Wheels and was a member of the Tonawanda Police Mobile Eye Patrol. An active member of St. Amelia's parish, he worked for their Outreach Program frequently transporting others to doctors' appointments or house-sitting as needed by parishioners. He was involved in fundraising activities for a variety of charities, and was president of an organization to support individuals with disabilities in attending camps and other recreational activities. In addition to tutoring in the Buffalo public school system and parish parochial school, he was an active member of the American Legion, the Elks, and St. Amelia's Holy Name Society. Bill was a proud Marine and active in the Conrad Kania Detachment. In recent years, Bill was a parishioner of the Church of Our Lady of Peace in Syracuse. Services: 9 a.m. Saturday August 18, 2012 at Our Lady of Peace Church where a Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated. The Rite of Committal and Burial with military honors will follow in Onondaga County Veterans Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, contributions in Bill's memory may be made to the Buckley Landing Recreational Fund, 7430 Buckley Road, North Syracuse, NY 13212. His family is very grateful to the staff of Buckley Landing for their tremendous contribution to his well being over the past couple years.