STEWART M. VOCKEL, JR. "BUD"
Of Providence Point, PA, formerly of Mt. Lebanon, peacefully entered the larger life on Thursday, April 12, 2012. He was 86. Beloved husband of Carol Sayers Vockel for 64 years; son of Stewart M. Vockel and Miriam Landis Vockel of Pittsburgh; brother of the late Richard L. Vockel (Barbara) of Granville, Ohio; loving father of Stewart M. Vockel III (Pamela) of Newtown Square, PA, Margaret Harris (Steven) of Xenia, OH, James Vockel of Delray Beach, FL, the late John Vockel (Lorna) of Indianapolis, IN, and Sarah Poling (Gregory) of Ellicott City, MD; proud grandfather of 14 and adoring great grandfather of seven.
"Bud" attended Wightman School, Taylor Alderdice, The University School, and Carnegie Tech, where he was a member of Delta Tau Delta. After graduating from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, NY in 1947, he served in the Army Air Corps., later the U. S. Air Force, as a fighter pilot. He was stationed in the U.S., with the RAF in England and in Munich, Germany, where he resigned as a captain.
Bud joined the family business, Waverly Oil Company, headquartered in Oakland, and he retired in 1974 as its Executive Vice President. A licensed pilot at age 16, Bud enjoyed flying single engine planes, especially his home-built Knight Twister by-plane with open cockpit. "Bud" was an active member of Christ United Methodist Church, including Lay Leader of the Aldersgate Society and a Bethel Bible teacher. He was an honorary member of the Duquesne Club and the Delray Beach (FL) Club.